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Bee diversity and flower visitation to the genus Agalinis (Orobanchaceae) in North America

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Abstract

Agalinis is a diverse and wide-ranging genus within the Orobanchaceae. Species may be either widespread or restricted in range. Natural populations tend to be small and isolated being distributed across natural grassland or open habitats that are frequently fragmented due to habitat loss. We ask whether patterns of distribution and limited occurrence may be related to visiting bee diversity. We conducted a review of the bee taxa recorded visiting flowers of the genus Agalinis involving 15 published surveys plus our own field observations. We assessed the association of visiting bee diversity on flower size, geographical distribution, regional distribution, and conservation status of 14 species of Agalinis. From a total of 160 floral records, we found 5 families, 18 genera and 58 bee taxa have been documented visiting flowers of Agalinis. Halictidae (43.1%) and Apidae (29.3%) constituted the largest proportion of bees. The number of bee taxa recorded for a species of Agalinis showed a significant positive relationship with geographic range across the United States and Canada. However, no differences in bee diversity at the level of family were noted for flower size, regional distribution or conservation status. Bee diversity patterns recorded to date suggest a generalized pollination system not associated with the limited distribution or small population sizes of many Agalinis species. Nevertheless, previous studies indicate a level of specialization with respect to flower form and bee foraging behavior. The gibbous to ventricose corolla, combined with dimorphic stamens bearing filament trichomes facilitate inverted bee foraging for pollen gathering.

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Acknowledgements

The study was funded, in part, by the following institutions: The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Brownsville, Western Illinois University, and Northwest Missouri State University. Permission to conduct field studies was granted by: Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge, TX; Illinois Department of Natural Resources, IL; Mr. Larry Maher of Stanberry, MO; Mr. Doug Keever of Maryville, MO; Missouri Department of Conservation, MO; and Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, MO. We would like to thank Ms. Michelle Allen for laboratory assistance. We are especially grateful to Dr. John Neff of the Central Texas Melittological Institute, Austin, TX for identification of bee specimens. We also thank anonymous reviewers for critical comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Natural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University, 800 University Dr, Maryville, MO, 64468, USA

    Gregg Dieringer & Leticia Cabrera Rodriguez

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  1. Gregg Dieringer
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Correspondence to Gregg Dieringer.

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Dieringer, G., Cabrera Rodriguez, L. Bee diversity and flower visitation to the genus Agalinis (Orobanchaceae) in North America. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 18, 141–148 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-023-09999-0

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