Impactos das mudanças climáticas na relação polinizador-cultura agrícola e alternativas para mitigar seus efeitos: O caso das abelhas Xylocopa spp. e o maracujá amarelo (Passiflora edulis)

Abstract

Carpenter bees (Xylocopa spp.) are important agricultural pollinators strongly associated with passion fruit (Passiflora spp.) crop. Therefore, this is a well-known plant-pollinator relationship and attempts for rearing breeding carpenter bees done aiming to mitigate pollination deficits in this crop. In the other hand, climate changes endanger both pollinators and crops, and it is necessary to develop strategies and to rear bees mitigate the risks caused by the climate changes through the spatial mismatch between pollinators and crop. Thereby, in this study, I investigated the concomitant effect of climate changes on passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) and its two main pollinator bee species (Xylocopa frontalis and X. grisescens), considering two of the IPCC environmental scenarios, RCP 4.5; RCP 8.5 in the years 2060 and 2080, and also, the use of wooden bars of Pinus sp. as an alternative substrate for carpenter bees ro nest aiming their capitivity breeding and introduction in agricultural areas where they no longer occur naturally. I have shown that the climate changes may lead to changes in the natural occurrence areas with considerable losses of area adequate for Xylocopa bees as well as for cropping passion fruit. I also predicted a potential reduction in the overlapping of the remaining suitable areas for the bees and passion fruit, increasing the potential spatial mismatch between the crop and its pollinators. The wooden bars were successful in attracting females of carpenter bees, whose were able to build their nest, rear new brood and these nests were consequently used by their offspring. Therefore, we conclude that suitable areas to co-occurrence of passion fruit crop and its effective pollinators will be largely affected in the Neotropic and adoption of pollinator-friendly practices along with the breeding of carpenter bees using wooden bars as nesting substrate may contribute to mitigate the effects of the climate changes by ensuring viable population of pollinators in the remaining suitable areas for both bees and the crop.