Biotropica. 2020;00:1–14. | 1 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/btp
Received: 9 January 2020
|
Revised: 18 March 2020
|
Accepted: 7 April 2020
DOI: 10.1111/btp.12809
REVIEW
Heterogeneous agroecosystems support high diversity and
abundance of trap-nesting bees and wasps among tropical
crops
Jeferson G. E. Coutinho
1,2,3
| Catalina Angel-Coca
1
| Danilo Boscolo
3,4
|
Blandina F. Viana
1,3
© 2020 Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation
1
Programa de Pós-Graduação Ecologia:
Teoria, Aplicação e Valores, Instituto de
Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia,
Salvador, Brazil
2
Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e
Tecnologia da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
3
National Institute of Science and
Technology in Interdisciplinary and Trans
disciplinary Studies in Ecology and Evolution
(IN-TREE), Federal University of Bahia,
Salvador, Brazil
4
Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de
Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto,
Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto,
Brazil
Correspondence
Jeferson G. E. Coutinho, Instituto de
Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia,
Rua Barão de Geremoabo, 147 - Campus
de Ondina, Zip Code: 40170-210, Salvador,
Bahia State, Brazil.
Email: jeferson.gabriel@gmail.com
Funding information
This research was supported by CNPq
[Grant number: 556050/2009-6] and
the GEF/FAO/UNEP Global Environment
Facility (GEF), the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), the Brazilian Environment Ministry
(MMA) and the “Fundo Brasileiro para a
Biodiversidade” (FUNBIO).
Associate Editor: Jennifer Powers
Handling Editor: Marney Isaac
Abstract
Land-use intensification for agricultural purposes modifies the structure of natural
environments in various ways and at different spatial scales. These modifications
can affect ecological processes and the community structure of multi-environment
users such as solitary bees and wasps. Understanding the role of distinct habitat
descriptors in promoting such changes is one of the major challenges of empirical
studies. In this study, we use a multi-scale approach to evaluate how landscape com-
positional and configurational heterogeneity, vegetation structural complexity, and
the proportion of agricultural landscape composition affect communities of bees and
wasps that nest in pre-existing cavities in remnants of native vegetation bordering
agroecosystems. We selected 25 sampling points along a gradient of amount of sur-
rounding agriculture and landscape diversity within natural physiognomies located in
Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil. Through model selection using Akaike's informa-
tion criterion, we verified the complementary roles of landscape heterogeneity and
local vegetation in structuring these hymenopteran communities. Abundance in the
groups showed different tendencies depending on the descriptors employed, point-
ing to the importance of evaluating within-group specificity. Furthermore, bees and
wasps presented differential responses to landscape composition, but they did not
differ in relation to configurational complexity. In more heterogeneous landscapes or
sites with more complex local vegetation, the proportion of agriculture had a posi-
tive influence on the response evaluated. Efficient management of agricultural land-
scapes therefore requires increased landscape heterogeneity and conservation or
restoration of native vegetation remnants at the local scale.
KEYWORDS
Brazil, compositional heterogeneity, configurational heterogeneity, landscape diversity, local
vegetation structure, solitary bees, solitary wasps, tropical agroecosystem