Pollen Availability and Behavior of Visiting Bees of Solanum lycocarpum A. St. Hill (Solanaceae).

This study aimed to assess the pollen availability and foraging behavior of visiting bees to identify the effective pollinators of Solanum lycocarpum at a forest fragment. Five flowers of each of two floral morphs were used to determine pollen viability using optical microscopy. Bees were collected during the first 15 minutes of every hour of collection and classified into large, medium and small. Behavioral observations were performed during the remaining 45 minutes. Both floral morphs presented high percentage of viable pollen, without much difference between them. A total of 322 bees from 12 species were collected. Visits were more frequent when the anthers were maintained. Epi charis flava, Centris scopipes and Oxaea flavescens, along with Centris analis had large body size and, due to the behavior presented, were considered effective pollinators of S. lycocarpum. The intense intraspecific and interspecific competition observed among visiting bees may be advantageous for S. lycocarpum reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]