Intensive agricultural systems have had several ecological effects on the surrounding ecosystem, including contributing to widespread pollinator declines. In order to help supplement bee communities and potentially improve crop production, we set out to study annual forb plantings adjacent to dry bean crops to determine the pollinator response to both plantings and any potential effects on dry bean yield. We found that annual forb plantings provided continual floral resources throughout the sampling period, which can support bees and their pollination services in agroecosystems. We also found cross-pollination had no effect on dry bean yield in Carrington and a negative effect in Hettinger, which could be due to methodological issues. While we did not observe a yield increase in dry bean production, the addition of annual forb plantings in agroecosystems could help support the local bee community, and potentially encourage pollination services in other crops that do benefit from insect pollination.

Submitted by Ricardo Cedraz Duque Moliterno (ricardo.moliterno@uefs.br) on 2016-03-01T00:40:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTA??O Claudia.pdf: 581878 bytes, checksum: 64bfb898fa3dfecf415c1fe65fad5fbf (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-01T00:40:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTA??O Claudia.pdf: 581878 bytes, checksum: 64bfb898fa3dfecf415c1fe65fad5fbf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-26 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / This study aimed to investigate the acceptance of cavities with different lengths for nesting and the cavity size effects on the sex ratio and offspring mortality of solitary bees in two agricultural areas in Feira de Santana, Brazil. The samplings were carried out monthly, during 12 months, using trap-nesting (=NA) length 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm. A total of 124 nests, 591 building cells, and 479 emerging imago were sampled. There was a higher number of nesting in area I (n=86) than in area II (n=38). Centris analis Fabricius 1804, Centris tarsata Smith, 1874, and two Megachile species nested in ?rea I, being C. analis the specie with highest number of established nest (n=72, 83.7%), while other species had low nesting frequency (4%) and a higher bee richness, with six species occupying the trap-nesting. Tetrapedia diversipes Klug, 1810, established highest number of nest (n=29, 76.3%). Species used different NA size in both areas. In the area I, they nesting with higher frequency in NA with 10 cm (38%) and 15 cm (38%), while in the area II, there was cavity occupation with 20 cm (50%). Bees nested in most part of the year, except in months of autumn-winter, between April and August, when the bee nesting frequency was reduced or the activity was suspended. The natural enemies that emerged from the nests were species of Hymenoptera Coelioxoides sp, Mesocheira bicolor Fabricius, 1804, and a species of Chrysididae. The mortality rate by unknown reason in the areas I and II was 21.4% and 13.5% respectively, with higher incidence recorded to Centris analis. There was a higher mortality in smallest nests (5 cm) and there was no difference among the cavities with 10, 15, and 20 cm. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo investigar a utiliza??o de cavidades de diferentes comprimentos para confec??o de ninhos e os efeitos do tamanho da cavidade sobre a raz?o sexual e mortalidade da prole de abelhas solit?rias. O estudo foi conduzido em duas ?reas agr?colas no munic?pio de Feira de Santana, Bahia. Foram realizadas amostragens mensais durante 12 meses, usando ninhos-armadilha (NA) de comprimento 5, 10, 15 e 20 cm. Foram obtidos 124 ninhos, 591 c?lulas de cria constru?das e 479 imagos emergentes. Houve maior n?mero de nidifica??es na ?rea I (n=86) do que na ?rea II (n= 38). Centris analis Fabricius 1804, Centris tarsata Smith, 1874 e duas esp?cies de Megachile nidificaram na ?rea I, sendo C. analis a esp?cie com maior n?mero de ninhos estabelecidos (n=72, 83,7%), enquanto as outras esp?cies tiveram baixa freq??ncia de nidifica??o. A ?rea II apresentou menor freq??ncia de nidifica??o (4%) e maior riqueza de abelhas, com seis esp?cies ocupando os ninhos-armadilha. Tetrapedia diversipes Klug, 1810, estabeleceu maior n?mero de ninhos (n=29, 76,3%). As esp?cies utilizaram diferentemente os tamanhos de NA nas duas ?reas. Na ?rea I, as abelhas nidificaram com maior freq??ncia nos NA de 10 cm (38%) e de 15 cm (38%), enquanto na ?rea II houve maior ocupa??o das cavidades de 20 cm (50%). As abelhas nidificaram na maior parte do ano, com exce??o dos meses de outono-inverno, entre abril e agosto, quando a frequ?ncia de nidifica??o das abelhas foi reduzida ou a atividade foi suspensa. Os inimigos naturais que emergiram dos ninhos inclu?ram esp?cies de abelhas Coelioxoides sp, Mesocheira bicolor Fabricius, 1804 e uma esp?cie de Chrysididae. A taxa de mortalidade por causas desconhecidas nas ?reas I e II foi respectivamente 21,4% e 13,5%, com maior incid?ncia registrada em Centris analis. Houve uma maior mortalidade nos ninhos curtos (5 cm), n?o havendo diferen?a entre as cavidades de 10, 15 e 20 cm.