Bee pollination plays a major role in maintaining the plant diversity of tropical ecosystems. Worldwide, agriculture also relies upon bee pollination, which plays a central role in many economically important crops. Increased destruction of bee-friendly habitat and declines in honey bee populations have led to interest in other bee pollinators, such as stingless bees, which have a key role in preserving native plant diversity and agriculture. However, little is known about how stingless bees influence plant gene flow by where they choose to forage. In particular, the role of competition, aggression, and interceptive eavesdropping (the ability of some stingless bee species to intercept foraging information intended for nestmates) on flower visitation and pollination are not well understood. The researchers will combine field studies of stingless bee foraging and mathematical modeling to determine how these foraging patterns vary with foraging strategy and how competition among stingless bees can change foraging patterns. Their results will increase our understanding of how interceptive eavesdropping shapes bee foraging and contribute to mathematical models useful for preserving native plant diversity and the management of these alternative agricultural pollinators. The research will also allow minority and underprivileged students to gain direct field research experience and provide outreach teaching the importance of native pollinators and the scientific method through the web and science workshops.
