The importance of Bees to the world and to humanity has long been recognized: they are the greatest known pollinators, and for this reason, fundamental to the planet’s equilibrium. Although other animals such as birds, rodents and monkeys also perform pollination, bees are the main responsible ones for disseminating flower pollen and helping on the reproduction of vegetal species, including many food cultures.

According to the Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) [United Nations Organization - UN], bees pollinate about 73% of the cultivated plants and 48% of the crops destined to food production, including many types of fruits and also grains of great economic importance, like soy, beens and coffee.

In addition, bees are also fundamental for forests recovery. It was precisely for  understanding the interaction between these insects and forest vegetables that a team led by the researcher Rafael Cabral Borges, from the Instituto Tecnológico Vale - Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ITV-DS)  [Vale Technological Institute - Sustainable Development], conducted an investigation on the major species that interrelate and contribute to forest restoration in the Amazon.

Published in the "Restoration Ecology" journal in November, with the participation of Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi [Emilio Goeldi Museum] and the federal universities of Pará (UFPA) and Minas Gerais (UFMG), the study evaluated the interactions between pollinators and flora species in different stages of environmental recovery. The research was performed in Floresta Nacional - Flona [National Forest] of Carajás, in the municipality of Parauapebas, southeast of Pará, where the mining company Vale carries out recovery actions of degraded areas.

INTERACTIONS

The ITV-DS research studied the main ecological interactions that occur between bees and plants in areas of restoration of sand mines and iron waste deposits in Flona Carajás.

During the study, the researchers collected pollinators and vegetables in the undergrowth at three different moments, between April 2018 and October 2019. Samples were also collected in primary forest areas for comparison. 

"We look at how plants are interacting with pollinators. You have this ecological succession, the arrival of plant species and the arrival of pollinators to ensure the reproductive success of these plants is very important, because you see an area that was degraded becoming a functional area again," points out Rafael Borges, the head researcher of the study.

In all, 188 species of plants, 137 species of bees and 51 species of wasps were identified, as responsible for pollination. The great discovery was that, among this diversity of insects and vegetables, only five types of bees and twelve species of plants account for more than half of the recorded interactions, showing which species have the greatest potential to act in forest regeneration and which are more generalist, that is, they interact with more partners.

"We point to species of both flora and fauna that are able support restoration. Understanding the functionality of this environment, we have seen species that are key to provide this support," highlights the biologist. Among the most important vegetables in this interaction are the urucum (Achiote) [Bixa orellana], the Murici-da-praia (beach murici) [Byrsonima stipulacea] and the Fedegoso-gigante (giant stinker) [Senna alata]. The main pollinating bees of the studied regions are the uruçu boca-de-renda [Melipona seminigra], the Abelha-borá (bee-borá) [Tetragona clavipes] and the jataí [Tetragonisca angustula].

INNOVATION

According to Rafael Borges, the results of the research allow a new approach to the restoration of ecosystems. With the knowledge acquired by the study, forest regeneration projects can include the main pollinators in the process, instead of simply planting trees.

“In restoration, there is this perspective by which you indicate the best plants to correct the soil, having the arrival of new organisms. In our case, the main innovation was that, in addition to looking at a plant selection pattern, we focused even more on the selection of pollinators. The idea is, in this restoration process, to also insert animals that will ensure the reproductive success of plants," details the doctor in Zoology.

Achiote flowers attract diversity of pollinators

To identify the plant species that interact with pollinators, Rafael Borges had the support of Carolina Andrino, doctor in Botany from the University of Brasilia (UnB). "I also analyzed the botanical characteristics which are relevant to the management potential of these plants. These characteristics, especially morphological ones, played a crucial role in defining which species had greater potential to be used in restoration projects," explains the researcher.

According to Carolina, the urucum [achiote], one of the main identified species, has shown great potential, because its flowers attract a diversity of pollinators. "In addition to the achiote, beach murici and giant stinker, the species of the genus Borreria have drawn attention, as they have proven to be highly interactive both in sand recovery areas and in preserved forests. These plants have the advantage of attracting generalist pollinators, which play a fundamental role in the early stages of ecosystem recovery, facilitating the re-establishment of more complex interaction networks," analyzes the expert.

APPLICABILITY

According to Rafael Borges, the study sought to understand the existing relationships and did not test their applicability in concrete actions, but the knowledge produced presents indications of possible actions. "There will be science-based applications, not random. We have acquired knowledge that may be applied in management actions," emphasizes the zoologist.

"When we think about restoration, it is very difficult for plants to reproduce by seed in an unnatural area, which has already undergone a degradation process. We end up having to do this for seedlings, which makes the process more expensive. So, we took bees and put them in rational boxes, which are wooden boxes that imitate a nest and that we can transport to the catering area. There, they will make their contribution for interactions to happen, which will ensure long-term reproductive success," says Borges.

The expert clarifies that the species selection pattern indicated by the study can be used, for example, for the construction of agroforestry systems. "Açaí, for example, benefits a lot from having contact with natural areas. So, if you want to start a restoration process to include natural areas within the açaizal to increase the pollination service, you can start with the species we indicate," points out the expert.

Stingless species boost bioeconomy

Biologist Rafael Borges suggests that producers can benefit not only from pollination carried out by bees, but from the products of beekeeping and meliponiculture themselves, that is, from bees with and without stings, respectively.

Rational creations can be made by the pollinators themselves, which can also generate income for the producers. In our case, we focus more on meliponicultura, with the stingless bees, native here, such as uruçu boca-de-renda and jataí. So, the idea is that the producer has the creation of these stingless bees, which will provide pollination for cultivation, but that he will also be able to market the nest, honey, propolis," he suggests.

IN PRACTICE

The use of pollinators for the improvement of plant crops is already a successful reality in the Amazon. Around Flona Carajás, farmers and beekeepers or meliponicultores make partnerships, so that one activity drives the other.

One of the beekeepers and meliponicultors in the region is Joserlandia Arruda, from the Filhas do Mel Association[Daughters of Honey], supported by Vale. In addition to the breeding of bees with and without sting, which earns her the production of honey, wax and derived products, such as candles, soaps and honey bread, she gives beehives without a sting to neighboring gardens.

"There was a boy who put a vegetable garden, but it wasn't bearing fruit. He asked us to put a stingless bee there and he said it worked. So, what we do is take the hive to the person's planting, when they are in need of pollination," reports the producer.

Rosemir Ferreira is also a beekeeper and meliponiculturist in the region, owner of the KéMel enterprise, which sells honey, pollen, wax, royal jelly, propolis and pollen. She works in partnership with an açaí producer, contributing to the pollination of her plantations. "On the other hand, we obtain an adequate space to allocate stingless bees, providing mutual benefits and reinforcing sustainable practices," points out the producer.

PRODUCTION 

According to Rosemir, the honey production of meliponas (stingless bees) occurs on a smaller scale, but she makes a point of keeping species such as jataí, uruçu boca-de-de-renda and uruçu-gray in about 50 hives.

"One of KéMel's goals is to make farmers aware of the importance of bees as pollinators to increase productivity. We advise that, by incorporating bees into their properties, they can achieve a greater volume of production, in addition to significantly reducing the rate of floral abortions, contributing to a more efficient and sustainable harvest,"she points out. Now, with the knowledge obtained from the research of  Vale Technological Institute, not only the cultivation of food but also the forest restoration actions can be increasingly driven by the action of bees.

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIP
The production of Liberal Amazon is one of the initiatives of the Technical Cooperation Agreement between the Liberal Group and the Federal University of Pará. The articles involving research from UFPA are revised by professionals from the academy. The translation of the content is also provided by the agreement, through the research project ET-Multi: Translation Studies: multifaces and multisemiotics.