NDLI: Determinants of stingless bee nest density in lowland dipterocarp forests of Sabah, Malaysia

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Eltz, Thomas Brühl, Carsten A. van der Kaars, Sander Linsenmair, Eduard K.
Copyright Year	2002
Abstract	We measured the nest density of stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini) in undisturbed and logged-over dipterocarp forests in Sabah, northern Borneo, and evaluated hypotheses on proximate factors leading to the observed variation: population control mediated by (1) nest predation, (2) limitation of nest trees, or (3) food limitation. Per-area nest density varied twentyfold across 14 forest sites and was significantly affected by locality, but not by the degree and history of disturbance. Nest density was generally high in sites located in the Sepilok Forest fragment (mean 8.4 nests/ha), bordering mangroves or plantations. In contrast, nest densities in continuous forests were all low (between 0 and 2.1 nests/ha, mean 0.5 nests/ha). Yearly nest mortality was low (13.5–15.0%) over 4 years of observation and did not vary between forest localities, thus limiting the potential of nest predation (1) in creating the observed variation in nest density. The presence of potential nest trees (2), though positively correlated with nest density, explained only a minute fraction of the observed variation. Nest density was best explained by differences in the pollen resources (3) available to the bees (quantified by analysis of pollen in bee garbage). Across five selected sites the amount of nonforest pollen (from mangrove or crop plants) included in diets of Trigona collina was positively correlated with T. collina nest density. External pollen sources are a likely supplement to bee diets at times when little flowering occurs inside the forest, thus increasing overall bee carrying capacity. Pollen limitation was also indicated by direct measurements of pollen import and foraging activity of T. collina in three selected sites: Pollen traps installed at nests in high-density Sepilok captured significantly more corbicular pollen than colonies in low-density Deramakot. At the same time, morning foraging activity was also greater in Sepilok, indicating a regulatory increase in foraging in response to high pollen availability. We conclude that the abundance of stingless bees in forests in Sabah is chiefly dependent on the local availability of food resources. Bee populations strongly benefit from edge effects and increased foraging habitat diversity. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-001-0848-6
Starting Page	27
Ending Page	34
Page Count	8
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00298549
Journal	Oecologia
Volume Number	131
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	14321939
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2002-03-01
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Ecology Plant Sciences Hydrology/Water Resources
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Flexibility in nest density and social structure in invasive populations of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile

Arboreal ants as key predators in tropical lowland rainforest trees

Functional response, seasonal decline and landscape differences in nest predation risk

Photosynthesis rates of selected tree species in lowland dipterocarp rainforest of Sabah, Malaysia

Convergent evolution: floral guides, stingless bee nest entrances, and insectivorous pitchers

Mammal density and patterns of ectoparasite species richness and abundance

Fungal diversity and plant disease in mangrove forests: salt excretion as a possible defense mechanism

Root respiration in North American forests: effects of nitrogen concentration and temperature across biomes

Informed renesting decisions: the effect of nest predation risk

Determinants of stingless bee nest density in lowland dipterocarp forests of Sabah, Malaysia

Similar Documents

Flexibility in nest density and social structure in invasive populations of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile

Arboreal ants as key predators in tropical lowland rainforest trees

Functional response, seasonal decline and landscape differences in nest predation risk

Photosynthesis rates of selected tree species in lowland dipterocarp rainforest of Sabah, Malaysia

Convergent evolution: floral guides, stingless bee nest entrances, and insectivorous pitchers

Mammal density and patterns of ectoparasite species richness and abundance

Fungal diversity and plant disease in mangrove forests: salt excretion as a possible defense mechanism

Root respiration in North American forests: effects of nitrogen concentration and temperature across biomes

Informed renesting decisions: the effect of nest predation risk

Determinants of stingless bee nest density in lowland dipterocarp forests of Sabah, Malaysia