Forest remnants enhance wild pollinator visits to cashew flowers and mitigate pollination deficit in NE Brazil

Authors

  • Breno Magalhães Freitas Federal University of Ceara
  • Alípio J.S. Pacheco Filho Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Patrícia Barreto Andrade Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Camila Queiroz Lemos Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Epifânia Emanuela Macedo Rocha Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Natália Oliveira Pereira Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Antonio Diego Melo Bezerra Universidade Federal do ceará
  • David Silva Nogueira Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Ramayanno Lopes Alencar Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Roberto Felipe Rocha Universidade Federal do Ceará
  • Keniesd Sampaio Mendonça Universidade Federal do Ceará

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26786/1920-7603(2014)10

Abstract

Pollination deficit could cause low yields in cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and it is possible that deforestation surrounding cashew plantations may prevent effective pollinators from visiting cashew flowers and contribute to this deficit. In the present work, we investigated the proximity effect of small and large forest fragments on the abundance and flower visits by feral Apis mellifera and wild native pollinators to cashew flowers and their interactions with yield in cashew plantations. Cashew nut yield was highest when plantations bordered a small forest fragment and were close to the large forest fragment. Yield from plantations that did not border small forest fragments but were close to the large forest fragment did not differ to yield from plantations at a greater distance to the large forest fragment. Flower visits by wild native pollinators, mainly Trigona spinipes, were negatively affected by distance to the large forest remnant and their numbers were directly correlated to nut yield. The number of A. mellifera visiting cashew flowers did not change significantly with distance to forest fragments, nor was it correlated with yield. We conclude that increasing the number of wild pollinator visits may increase yield, and proximity to large forest fragments are important for this.

Author Biographies

Breno Magalhães Freitas, Federal University of Ceara

Departmento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Alípio J.S. Pacheco Filho, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departmento de Biologia - CC

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Patrícia Barreto Andrade, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia -CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Camila Queiroz Lemos, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Epifânia Emanuela Macedo Rocha, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Natália Oliveira Pereira, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Antonio Diego Melo Bezerra, Universidade Federal do ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

David Silva Nogueira, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Ramayanno Lopes Alencar, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Roberto Felipe Rocha, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

Keniesd Sampaio Mendonça, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Departamento de Zootecnia-CCA

C.P. 12168 Campus do Pici

60.021-970 Fortaleza - CE

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Published

2014-02-06

How to Cite

Freitas, B. M., Pacheco Filho, A. J., Andrade, P. B., Lemos, C. Q., Rocha, E. E. M., Pereira, N. O., … Mendonça, K. S. (2014). Forest remnants enhance wild pollinator visits to cashew flowers and mitigate pollination deficit in NE Brazil. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 12, 22–30. https://doi.org/10.26786/1920-7603(2014)10

Issue

Section

Special Issue on Shaping the Future for Pollinators in Farmed Landscapes