Wild bees of Chile: a database on taxonomy, sociality, and ecology

Exploring the hidden riches: Recent remarkable faunistic records and range extensions in the bee fauna of Italy (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Anthophila)

Background

The area sourrounding the Mediterranean basin is recognised as a major biodiversity hotspot for bees, and Italy is amongst the European countries with the highest bee species richness. Detailed knowledge of bee distribution is crucial for understanding bee biology and designing tailored conservation strategies, but is still insufficient in southern European countries, especially in Italy.

New information

We report recent finds of 48 bee species that yield significant novelties for the Italian bee fauna. Eight species, namely Andrenaconfinis Stöckhert, Anthidiellumbreviusculum Pérez, Coelioxysalatus Foerster, Lasioglossumalgericolellum Strand, Megachilelapponica Thomson, Megachileopacifrons Pérez, Megachilesemicircularis auct. nec Zanden and Trachusaintegra Eversmann are reported as new for Italy. In addition, Andrenabinominata Smith, Andrenacompta Lepeletier, Colletesacutus Pérez, Lasioglossumstrictifrons Vachal, Rhodanthidiumsiculum Spinola and Rhodanthidiumsticticum Fabricius are newly recorded from mainland Italy, Osmiaheteracantha Pérez from Sardegna and Nomadaflavopicta Kirby from Sicilia. We also report significant range extensions for other bee species and recent records of species that had long gone unrecorded in Italy. The combination of morphology and DNA barcoding provided reliable identifications even for the most challenging specimens. As several of our records come from areas neglected by bee experts in the past, this study stands out as a key indicator of a bee faunistic richness still awaiting discovery and hopefully it will stimulate the interest of taxonomists and stakeholders in pursuing bee research in Italy in the near future.

A comprehensive catalogue of plant-pollinator interactions for Chile

Pollinators and pollination services provide invaluable ecosystem services to agriculture and contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity. In Chile, pollination contributes greatly to the diversity of native ecosystems and provides ecosystem services to crops, but local pollinator abundance and diversity, as well as plant-animal interactions, remain poorly understood. We compiled all available information from the published scientific literature on pollinators, flower visitors, and plant-pollinator interactions in Chile and found 120 publications from which we extracted 2619 records. Those records contain locality, habit type, and establishment means of 357 plant species from 83 families. Thus, we built a database compiling information on their pollinators and flower visitors, including information on 492 pollinator species from 97 families and 13 orders. Our database provides the first systematisation of information about pollinators and pollination in Chile. This country relies heavily on pollinators both for its agricultural industry and its unique and highly endemic biodiversity. This information can be reused in future studies and would contribute significantly to pollinator conservation strategies.

Measurement(s)	pollination
Technology Type(s)	Observation
Factor Type(s)	Pollination
Sample Characteristic - Organism	Aves • Insecta • Mammalia • Magnoliophyta
Sample Characteristic - Environment	habitat
Sample Characteristic - Location	Chile

Local Actions to Tackle a Global Problem: A Multidimensional Assessment of the Pollination Crisis in Chile

In the last decades, pollinators have drastically declined as a consequence of anthropogenic activities that have local and global impacts. The food industry has been expanding intensive agriculture crops, many of them dependent on animal pollination, but simultaneously reducing native pollinator habitats. Chile is a good example of this situation. Chile is becoming an agro-alimentary powerhouse in Latin America, where intensive agriculture expansion is performed at the expense of natural lands, posing a major threat to biodiversity. Here, we discussed the drivers responsible for the decline of pollinators (including habitat loss, pesticides, invasive species, and climate change) and its synergistic effects. This is particularly critical considering that Chile is a hotspot of endemic bee species locally adapted to specific habitats (e.g., Mediterranean-type ecosystems). However, there is a lack of data and monitoring programs that can provide evidence of their conservation status and contribution to crop yields. Based on our analysis, we identified information gaps to be filled and key threats to be addressed to reconcile crop production and biodiversity conservation. Addressing the local context is fundamental to undertake management and conservation actions with global impact.