Sains Malaysiana 44(4)(2015): 529–536

Native Bee Pollinators and Pollen Sources of Apidae (Hymenoptera) in Four Forest Types of Lower Northern Thailand

(Pendebunga Lebah Asli dan Sumber Debunga Apidae (Hymenoptera) dalam Empat Jenis Hutan di Hilir Utara Thailand)

TOUCHKANIN JONGJITVIMOL¹* & SAHANAT PETCHSRI²

¹Faculty of Science and Technology, Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University

65000 Phitsanulok, Thailand

²Faculty of Liberal Arts and Science, Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus

73140 Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

Received: 14 April 2014/Accepted: 25 October 2014

ABSTRACT

Bee species diversity and pollen sources of Apidae (Hymenoptera) in Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, lower northern Thailand, were studied from 2011 to 2012. The forest types encountered were deciduous dipterocarp, deciduous with bamboo, seasonal evergreen and dipterocarp - pine forests. Sweep nets and honey bait traps were used to collect bee samples. The beta diversity of native bees was high with 22 recorded insect species from 12 genera and pollen grains collected by native bees were 62 plant species from 28 families. The plant family Fabaceae (Leguminosae) contained the greatest number of species (9 species). The main pollen source of native bees was Hopea odorata Roxb. (Dipterocarpaceae) which was collected by 19 bee species. The result from biodiversity indices i.e. species diversity (H’), species evenness (J’), similarity habitat (Ss) and species richness (D) indicated that this area has relatively high species diversity. In addition, the dwarf honey bees, Apis florea Fabricius, 1787, are the main pollinator at the study site with the highest number of pollinated plant species (46 species). Thus, this bee could be used as a biological indicator for future studies.

Keywords: Biodiversity; native bees; seasonal forests; Thailand; vegetation

ABSTRAK

Kepelbagaian spesies lebah dan sumber debunga Apidae (Hymenoptera) di Taman Negara Thung Salaeng Luang, Hilir Utara Thailand telah dikaji dari 2011 hingga 2012. Jenis-jenis hutan yang dikenal pasti adalah meluruh dipterokarpa, meluruh dengan buluh, malar hijau bermusim dan dipterokarpa - hutan pain. Jaring sapu dan perangkap umpan madu telah digunakan untuk mengumpul sampel lebah. Kepelbagaian beta lebah asli adalah tinggi dengan 22 spesies serangga yang direkodkan daripada 12 genus dan debunga yang dikumpul oleh lebah asli terdiri daripada 62 spesies tumbuhan daripada 28 keluarga. Keluarga pokok Fabaceae (Leguminosae) mengandungi jumlah spesies paling banyak (9 spesies). Punca utama debunga lebah asli adalah Hopea odorata Roxb. (Dipterocarpaceae) telah dikumpul melalui 19 spesies lebah. Hasil daripada indeks kepelbagaian biologi seperti spesies kepelbagaian (H'), spesies sama (J'), persamaan habitat (Ss) dan kekayaan spesies (D) menunjukkan bahawa kawasan ini mempunyai kepelbagaian spesies yang agak tinggi. Di samping itu, lebah madu kerdil, Apis florea Fabricius, 1787, adalah pendebunga utama di tapak kajian dengan jumlah spesies tumbuhan yang didebungakan (46 spesies). Oleh itu, lebah ini boleh digunakan sebagai penunjuk biologi untuk kajian pada masa hadapan.

Kata kunci: Hutan bermusim; kepelbagaian biologi; lebah asli; Thailand; tumbuh-tumbuhan

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*Corresponding author; email: touchkanin@psru.ac.th