Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T18:51:09.105Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Tropical fruit production depends on wild insect communities: bees and lychees in Thailand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2021

Khwankhao Sinhaseni  and
Carla P. Catterall
Khwankhao Sinhaseni*
Affiliation:
Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland4111, Australia
Carla P. Catterall
Affiliation:
Environmental Futures Research Institute and School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland4111, Australia
*
Author for Correspondence: *Khwankhao Sinhaseni, Email: kimmim.sinhaseni@griffithuni.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The importance of wild insects as pollinators of tropical tree crops has rarely been tested. Across 18 small-scale lychee orchards in northern Thailand, we evaluated the roles of different wild insects as pollinators and predators of pests in fruit production. Quantitative assessments showed that bees (Family Apidae) were strongly dominant (83%) among insect flower visitors, comprising four species in tribes Apini and four in Meliponini. Experimental manipulations of inflorescences showed that fruit production in these orchards was: (1) dependent on flower visits by wild insects because enclosure of inflorescences in mesh bags decreased fruit set (to one-fifth) and (2) not greatly limited by pollinator deficiencies, because hand pollination of unbagged flowers did not enhance fruit set. Pollination success, as indicated by the proportion of unmanipulated flowers setting fruit, correlated positively across orchards with the abundance of large-bodied Apidae (>7 mm; most were Apis species) and of Apini, and negatively with abundance of small-bodied Apidae and of all Meliponini, despite the latter being the commonest flower visitors. We conclude that larger-bodied bees are most likely to travel sufficiently far to import genetically diverse pollen, in this landscape-scale mosaic where non-orchard habitats (both agriculture and treed patches) were sufficient to sustain wild pollinators.

Keywords

ApisAsiabeebody sizeexperimentlandscapeLitchi chinensisMeliponiniorchardpollination
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , January 2021 , pp. 26 - 34
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Araújo, ED, Costa, M, Chaud-Netto, J and Fowler, HG (2004) Body size and flight distance in stingless bees (Hymenoptera: Meliponini): inference of flight range and possible ecological implications. Brazilian Journal of Biology 64, 563–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blaauw, BR and Isaacs, R (2014) Flower plantings increase wild bee abundance and the pollination services provided to a pollination-dependent crop. Journal of Applied Ecology 51, 890–898.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanche, KR, Ludwig, JA and Cunningham, SA (2006) Proximity to rainforest enhances pollination and fruit set in orchards. Journal of Applied Ecology 43, 1182–1187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boonkerd, S (2017) Taxonomy of Stingless Bees in Thailand. National Science and Technology Development Agency: NSTDA. Available at https://www.nstda.or.th/th/nstda-r-and-d/606-stingless-bee (accessed 26 January 2019).Google Scholar
Bumrungsri, S, Sripaoraya, E, Chongsiri, T, Sridith, K and Racey, PA (2009) The pollination ecology of durian (Durio zibethinus, Bombacaceae) in southern Thailand. Journal of Tropical Ecology 25, 85–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corlett, RT (2004) Flower visitors and pollination in the Oriental (Indomalayan) region. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 79, 497–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cunningham, SA and Blanche, KR (2008) Services and disservices from insects in agricultural landscapes of the Atherton Tableland. In Stork, N and Turton, SM (eds), Living in a Dynamic Tropical Forest Landscape. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 240–250.Google Scholar
Davenport, TL and Stern, RA (2005) Flowering. In Menzel, CM and Waite, GK (eds), Litchi and Longan: Botany, Production and Uses. London: CABI Publishing, pp. 87–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, C (2013) SPSS for Applied Sciences: Basic Statistical Testing. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, P (2003) VEGAN, a package of R functions for community ecology. Journal of Vegetation Science 14, 927–930.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dollin, AE, Dollin, LJ and Sakagami, SF (1997) Australian stingless bees of the Genus Trigona (Hymenoptera : Apidae). Invertebrate Systematics 11, 861–896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, S, Kuaraksa, C, Tunjai, P, Toktang, T, Boonsai, K, Sangkum, S, Suwannaratana, S and Blakesley, D (2012) Integrating scientific research with community needs to restore a forest landscape in northern Thailand: a case study of Ban Mae Sa Mai. In Stanturf, J, Madsen, P and Lamb, D (eds), A Goal-Oriented Approach to Forest Landscape Restoration. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 149–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
FAO (2002a) Overview of lychee production in the Asia-Pacific region. In Papademetriou MK and Dent FJ (eds), Lychee Production in the Asia-Pacific Region. Bangkok: RAP publication, pp. 5–13.Google Scholar
FAO (2002b) Lychee production in Thailand. In Papademetriou MK and Dent FJ (eds), Lychee Production in the Asia-Pacific Region. Bangkok: RAP Publication, pp. 106–113.Google Scholar
Freitas, BM, Imperatriz-Fonseca, VL, Medina, LM, Kleinert, ADMP, Galetto, L, Nates-Parra, G and Javier, J (2009) Diversity, threats and conservation of native bees in the Neotropics. Apidologie 40, 332–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garibaldi, LA, Steffan-Dewenter, I, Winfree, R, Aizen, MA, Bommarco, R, Cunningham, SA, Kremen, C, Carvalheiro, LG, Harder, LD, Afik, O, Bartomeus, I, Benjamin, F, Boreux, V, Cariveau, D, Chacoff, NP, Dudenhoffer, JH, Freitas, BM, Ghazoul, J, Greenleaf, S, Hipolito, J, Holzschuh, A, Howlett, B, Isaacs, R, Javorek, SK, Kennedy, CM, Krewenka, KM, Krishnan, S, Mandelik, Y, Mayfield, MM, Motzke, I, Munyuli, T, Nault, BA, Otieno, M, Petersen, J, Pisanty, G, Potts, SG, Rader, R, Ricketts, TH, Rundlof, M, Seymour, CL, Schuepp, C, Szentgyorgyi, H, Taki, H, Tscharntke, T, Vergara, CH, Viana, BF, Wanger, TC, Westphal, C, Williams, N and Klein, AM (2013) Wild pollinators enhance fruit set of crops regardless of honey bee abundance. Science 339, 1608–1611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garibaldi, LA, Carvalheiro, LG, Leonhardt, SD, Aizen, MA, Blaauw, BR, Isaacs, R, Kuhlmann, M, Kleijn, D, Klein, AM, Kremen, C, Morandin, L, Scheper, J and Winfree, R (2014) From research to action: enhancing crop yield through wild pollinators. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 12, 439–447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gehrke-Vélez, M, Castillo-Vera, A, Ruiz-Bello, C, Moreno-Martinez, JL and Moreno-Basurto, G (2012) Delayed self-incompatibility causes morphological alterations and crop reduction in ‘Ataúlfo’ mango (Mangifera indica L.). New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science 40, 215–227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibbs, PE (2014) Late-acting self-incompatibility: the pariah breeding system in flowering plants. New Phytologist 203, 717–734.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenleaf, SS and Kremen, C (2006) Wild bee species increase tomato production and respond differently to surrounding land use in Northern California. Biological Conservation 133, 81–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenleaf, SS, Williams, NM, Winfree, R and Kremen, C (2007) Bee foraging ranges and their relationship to body size. Oecologia 153, 589–596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heard, TA (1999) The role of stingless bees in crop pollination. Annual Review of Entomology 44, 183–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, X, Subhadrabandhu, S, Mitra, SK, Ben-Arie, R and Stern, A (2005) Origin, history, production and processing. In Menzel, CM and Waite, GK (eds), Litchi and Longan: Botany, Production and Uses. London: CABI Publishing, pp. 1–24.Google Scholar
Kevan, PG and Phillips, TP (2001) The economic impacts of pollinator declines: an approach to assessing the consequences. Conservation Ecology 5, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kleijn, D, Winfree, R, Bartomeus, I, Carvaleiro, LG, Henry, M, Isaacs, R, Klein, AM, Kremen, C, M’Gonigle, LK, Rader, R, Ricketts, TH, Williams, NM, Adamson, NL, Ascher, JS, Baldi, A, Batary, P, Benjamin, F, Biesmeijer, JC, Blitzer, EJ, Bommarco, R, Brand, MR, Bretagnolle, V, Button, L, Cariveau, DP, Chifflet, R, Colville, JF, Danforth, BN, Elle, E, Garratt, MPD, Herzog, F, Holzschuh, A, Howlett, BG, Jauker, F, Jha, S, Knop, E, Krewenka, KM, Feon, VL Mandelik, Y, May, EA, Park, MG, Pisanty, G, Reemer, M, Riedinger, V, Rollin, O, Rundlof, M, Sardinas, HS, Scheper, J, Sciligo, AR, Smith, HG, Steffan-Dewenter, I, Thorp, R, Tscharntke, T, Verhulst, J, Viana, BF, Vaissiere, BE, Veldtman, R, Ward, KL, Westphal, C and Pott, SG (2015) Delivery of crop pollination services is an insufficient argument for wild pollinator conservation. Nature Communications 6, 7414 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klein, AM, Steffan-Dewenter, I and Tscharntke, T (2003) Fruit set of highland coffee increases with the diversity of pollinating bees. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 270, 955–961.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klein, AM, Vaissière, BE, Cange, JH, Dewenter, IS, Cunningham, SA, Kremen, C and Tscharntke, T (2006) Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274, 303–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koetz, A (2013) Ecology, behaviour and control of Apis cerana with a focus on relevance to the Australian incursion. Insects 4, 558–592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kumar, R and Kumar, V (2014) Impact of pollination by European honey bee, Apis mellifera L. on the yield and quality of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruits in India. Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems 20, 127–132.Google Scholar
Malhotra, SK, Singh, SK and Nath, V (2018) Physiology of flowering in litchi (Litchi chinensis): a review. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 88, 1319–1330.Google Scholar
Menzel, CM (1984) The pattern and control of reproductive development in lychee: a review. Scientia Horticulturae 22, 333–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OECD (2017) Southeast Asia: prospects and challenges. In OECD (ed), OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2017–2026. Paris: OECD-FAO Publishing, pp. 59–99.Google Scholar
Ollerton, J, Winfree, R and Tarrant, S (2011) How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals? Oikos 120, 321–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obrycki, JJ, Harwood, JD, Kring, TJ and O’Neil, RJ (2009) Aphidophagy by Coccinellidae: application of biological control in agroecosystems. Biological Control 51, 244–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pandey, RS and Yadava, RPS (1970) Pollination of litchi (Litchi Chinensis) by insects with special reference to honeybees. Journal of Apicultural Research 9, 103–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pham, HD (2012) Pollination Biology of Jujubes and Longans and the Importance of Insects in the Pollination of Crops in Vietnam (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation), University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.Google Scholar
Quinn, GP and Keough, MJ (2002) Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ricketts, TH (2004) Tropical forest fragments enhance pollinator activity in nearby coffee crops. Conservation Biology 18, 1262–1271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, JP, Heard, TA, Beekman, M and Gloag, R (2017) Flight range of the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Austral Entomology 56, 50–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sritongchuay, T, Kremen, C and Bumrungsri, S (2016) Effects of forest and cave proximity on fruit set of tree crops in tropical orchards in Southern Thailand. Journal of Tropical Ecology 32, 269–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stern, RA and Gazit, S (1996) Lychee pollination by the honeybee. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 121, 152–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stern, RA and Gazit, S (1998) Pollen viability in lychee. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 123, 41–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardhaugh, CW (2015) How many species of arthropods visit flowers? Arthropod-Plant Interactions 9, 547–565.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamanishi, OK, Pires, MC and Almeida, LFP (2008) The Brazilian lychee industry–present and future. In Dongliang, Q, Mitra, SK and Diczbalis, Y (eds), III International Symposium on Longan, Lychee, and Other Fruit Trees in Sapindaceae Family, Vol. 863, pp. 59–66.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Sinhaseni and Catterall supplementary material

Sinhaseni and Catterall supplementary material

Download Sinhaseni and Catterall supplementary material(File)
File 28.7 KB