| Special Issue 2008: Insights into Bee Evolution: A Tribute to Charles D. Michener |
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Insights into Bee Evolution: A Tribute to Charles D. Michener On September 22nd 2008, Professor Charles D. Michener will turn 90 years old. As hard as it is to quantify the scientific importance of a researcher, it does not seem too exaggerated to propose that Dr. Michener is the most important bee specialist of our time. This issue is dedicated to him, as a tribute to his contribution to the advancement of bee research. Three of the thirteen papers are reviews of various aspects of bee biology: i) evolution of allodapine bees (Apidae: Xylocopinae) with an emphasis on social behavior and cleptoparasitism; ii) nesting biology of the family Colletidae in light of a new phylogenetic hypothesis; iii) analysis of the components of nest provisioning behavior in solitary bees. A number of papers focus on phylogeny, systematics and taxonomy of bees. Five studies employ phylogenetic information to examine the evolution of important biological traits in bees, including nesting biology, sociality, mating behavior and floral associations. Two final papers present new data on bee faunistics and the nesting and social behavior of African halictine bees. One of the goals of any student of bee evolution is to find something that Charles Michener does not already know. Bee biologists are often confronted with the frustrating reality that “Mich has already said that.” We hope that at least a few of the results obtained by the authors of these papers will provide Dr. Michener with some surprises. |