This research was conducted with a view to increasing knowledge about a little known Australian stingless bee, Austroplebeia australis Friese (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponinae). Bees are known to be superior pollinators due to the fact that they actively collect pollen and nectar in large amounts for the purpose of raising their young. There has been limited research into the utilisation of alternative pollinators to the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) in Australian horticultural crops. Au. australis is a eusocial bee that can be managed in transportable artificial hives and has, therefore, the potential to be managed as a crop pollinator. During this project I investigated aspects of the biology, behaviour and phylogeny of Au. australis, with a view to better understanding this species, as well as to determine whether it could be utilised as a greenhouse and / or field crop pollinator. During my studies, it became apparent that the current descriptions for the species within the genus Austroplebeia are inadequate as a tool for the identification of specimens in either the field or the laboratory. As a result, a triangulated approach was undertaken in an attempt to better delimit morphologically identified groups within Austroplebeia. First, morphological data, based on worker bee colour and size were analysed. Drones collected from nests representing morphologically similar groups were dissected and their genitalia were imaged using scanning electron microscopy. Next, data for the geometric morphometric analysis of worker wing venations were obtained. Finally, molecular analysis, using mitochondrial rDNA segment 16S, was conducted on workers from representative nests for each group which displayed morphological similarities. Data from the four datasets were compared, resulting in the separation of two distinct species, with a large unresolved species complex. My research results contribute to the previously limited pool of knowledge on Austroplebeia spp. in general and Au. australis in particular. Its conservative recruitment of foragers for low level floral resources, combined with the efficiency with which foragers harvest these resources, reduces worker mortality within a colony. In the presence of abundant floral resources, forager recruitment is high and resource harvesting and storage is likely to be greater than the energy expenditure of the colony as a whole. Low energy expenditure within the colony, through thermoconformity, reduced nest architecture and efficient foraging strategies enable colonies to conserve precious resources. This combination of behaviours has enabled this species to survive, in harsh environmental conditions.
Date of Award | 2012 |
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Original language | English |
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- bees
- stingless bees
- Austroplebeia australis
- behaviour
- phylogeny
- biology
- pollination by insects
- pollinators
Investigations into the biology, behaviour and phylogeny of a potential crop pollinator : the Australian stingless bee, Austroplebeia australis
Halcroft, M. (Author). 2012
Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis