The evolution of a pollen diet: Host choice and diet breadth of Andrena bees (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Open Access Option

Free access article

Issue		Apidologie Volume 39, Number 1, January-February 2008 Insights into Bee Evolution: A Tribute to Charles D. Michener


Page(s)		133 - 145
DOI		10.1051/apido:2007064
Published online		12 February 2008

Apidologie 39 (2008) 133-145
DOI: 10.1051/apido:2007064

The evolution of a pollen diet: Host choice and diet breadth of Andrena bees (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

Leah L. Larkin^{1, 2}, John L. Neff³ and Beryl B. Simpson¹

¹ Section of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
² Present address: Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, MSC 03 2020, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
³ Central Texas Melittological Institute, Austin, TX 78731, USA

(Received 18 June 2007 - Revised 1 November 2007 - Accepted 14 November 2007 - Published online 12 February 2008)

Abstract - We investigate of two aspects of pollen diet of Andrena bees: the evolution of diet breadth within nearctic representatives of the genus, which includes both polylectic and oligolectic species; and host choice within an oligolectic clade of Andrena. We also evaluate phenology. Traits were mapped onto a molecular phylogeny to identify the ancestral character states. Overall, oligolecty appears to be the basal state within Andrena, and broader diets have evolved a number of times, suggesting that specialization is not a "dead end". Within the oligolectic clade studied, host shifts occur predominantly between members of the same plant tribe, indicating a phylogenetic constraint to host-usage; however, shifts to other tribes are not uncommon, and may lead to adaptive radiation. Additionally, some lineages retain the ability to use pollen from an ancestral host-plant tribe. Finally, we find a correlation between using host plants in the family Asteraceae and fall emergence.

What is OpenURL?

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.

If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.