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The Fundao Dam breach, in November 2015 in Mariana (20o 22ʹ 40″ S, 43o 24ʹ 58″ W), was considered, at that time, the largest environmental disaster in Brazilian history. Meliponiculture was one of ...

The extensive use of insecticides can cause adverse side effects on pollinators, which negatively impact crop productivity. The pollination carried out by the honeybee Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is crucial in increasing the productivity of the melon (Cucumis melo L.). The main objective of this study was to assess if insecticides applied in the cultivation of cantaloupe melon exhibit significant levels of toxicity toward A. mellifera. We tested the toxicity of azadirachtin, pyriproxyfen, chlorantraniliprole, and imidacloprid, which are commonly sprayed to manage melon pests such as the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), the pickleworm Diaphania nitidalis (Stoll) and the melonworm Diaphania hyalinata (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Three treatments were carried out, 0.0×, 0.1x and 1.0x the concentration recommended by the manufacturer for the control of those pests. Repellency tests, analysis of mortality through contact and ingestion, and flight tests were performed. The insecticide imidacloprid caused mortality rates above 90% in all tested exposure pathways, displaying high residue persistence on plants. Although not causing significant mortality in the ingestion test, pyriproxyfen caused significant mortality after exposure through contact, and change in flight ability. Azadirachtin caused mortality in the ingestion test and impaired the flight ability of bees, while chlorantraniliprole only impaired the flight ability. Moreover, bees were not repelled by these insecticides, suggesting that they may collect contaminated food in the field while foraging. Altogether, ecofriendly, alternative pest control options should be developed, as well as the adoption of more selective insecticides, in order to reduce the non-target effects on honeybees and guarantee their pollination services.

RESUMO Este trabalho se propôs a realizar um levantamento florístico em áreas sob influência do rompimento da barragem de rejeitos de minério de Fundão em Mariana, Estado de Minas Gerais, com o objetivo de apontar espécies potencialmente importantes na cadeia produtiva da Meliponicultura e contribuir com a reintrodução de espécies vegetais nativas nas áreas impactadas pela lama. O levantamento foi realizado em seis locais, sendo três deles atingidos pelo rompimento da barragem e três deles não atingidos. As coletas dos materiais botânicos foram realizadas no período de 10 meses entre 2017 e 2018. As espécies foram identificadas por especialista e pesquisadas na literatura quanto a sua forma de vida, fenologia, nome popular, disponibilidade de recurso floral, origem e endemismo. As informações obtidas foram sistematizadas em uma tabela, constando o número do Herbário do Departamento de Botânica da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Herbário BHCB) onde as exsicatas das espécies estão tombadas. Complementou-se com uma fototeca dos grãos de pólen acetolisados que foram organizados em três Palinotecas nacionais. Foram amostradas 153 espécies vegetais, pertencentes a 32 famílias, sendo as mais representativas Asteraceae e Fabaceae, em ambos os locais estudados. Recomenda-se o replantio nas áreas afetadas de diversas espécies das várias famílias, pois são de suma importância para as abelhas nativas e para o uso econômico e geração de renda através da Meliponicultura. ABSTRACT This study aimed to carry out a floristic survey in areas under influence of the rupture of the Fundão ore tailings dam, in the municipality of Mariana, Minas Gerais State, with the objective of pointing out potentially important species for meliponiculture production chain and contributing to the reintroduction of native plant species in the areas impacted by the mud. The survey was conducted in six sites, being three affected and three not affected by dam rupture. The collection of botanical material was carried out during ten months, between 2017 and 2018. The species were identified by a specialist and additional information regarding their life-form, phenology, popular name, floral resource availability, origin and endemism were obtained. The data obtained were systematized in a table, including the accession number of the Department of Botany Herbarium (Herbarium BHCB) from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, where the vourchers were deposited. The survey was supplemented with a Phototeca containing photographs of acetolyzed pollen grains that were organized in three Brazilian Palynothecas. As a result, 153 plant species were collected, divided into 32 botanical families. The most representative families in both sites studied were Asteraceae and Fabaceae. It is recommended to replant the affected areas with several species of various families, considering that they are of great importance for native bees and for economic use and income generation through meliponiculture.

International audience; Melipona scutellaris is an important pollinator in natural and cultured areas from northeastern Brazil. Therefore, the goal of this work was to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of M. scutellaris within its Bahia range, relating putative geographical influences on population dynamics. A total of 111 colonies from 13 municipalities in Bahia from sea level up to 1,011 m of altitude were sampled. Five species-specific codominant (microsatellites) and ten dominant (ISSR) primers were amplified, yielding from 2 to 13 alleles and 94 bands, respectively. The mean genetic diversity (He) was 0.50 for microsatellites and 0.33 for ISSR markers. AMOVA revealed that most of genetic variation is found within localities (82.6 % for microsatellites and 73.6 % for ISSR), and UPGMA and Bayesian analysis revealed the formation of two genetic groups related to altitude. Therefore, conservation strategies should take altitude variation into consideration to assure the genetic integrity of M. scutellaris.