Partamona mulata is a stingless bee species endemic to cerrado, a severely threatened phytogeographical domain. Clearing for pasture without proper soil treatment in the cerrado facilitates the proliferation of termite ground nests, which are the nesting sites for P. mulata. The genetic consequences of these changes in the cerrado environment for bee populations are still understudied. In this work, we analyzed the genetic diversity of 48 colonies of P. mulata collected throughout the species' distribution range by sequencing two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase I and cytochrome B. A very low polymorphism rate was observed when compared to another Partamona species from the Atlantic forest. Exclusive haplotypes were observed in two of the five areas sampled. The sharing of two haplotypes between collection sites separated by a distance greater than the flight range of queens indicates an ancient distribution for these haplotypes. The low haplotype and nucleotide diversity observed here suggests that P. mulata is either a young species or one that has been through population bottlenecks. Locally predominant and exclusive haplotypes (H2 and H4) may have been derived from local remnants through cerrado deforestation and the expansion of a few colonies with abundant nesting sites.

Genetic diversity is a major component of the biological diversity of an ecosystem. The survival of a population may be seriously threatened if its genetic diversity values are low. In this work, we measured the genetic diversity of the stingless bee Plebeia remota based on molecular data obtained by analyzing 15 microsatellite loci and sequencing two mitochondrial genes. Population structure and genetic diversity differed depending on the molecular marker analyzed: microsatellites showed low population structure and moderate to high genetic diversity, while mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) showed high population structure and low diversity in three populations. Queen philopatry and male dispersal behavior are discussed as the main reasons for these findings.

As abelhas possuem grande importância econômica e ecológica, em vista de sua dependência dos recursos florais como o pólen e o néctar (principais fontes de proteínas e energia, respectivamente), representando cerca de 40 a 90% dos agentes polinizadores de fanerógamas em diversos ecossistemas. No presente trabalho, foi realizado o inventário apícola do Parque Municipal da Cachoeirinha (Iporá, GO). Foram realizadas 58 horas de coleta no total, realizadas nos meses de novembro/dezembro de 2004 e março e maio de 2005. Foi coletado um total de 933 indivíduos, distribuídos em uma família, 16 tribos, 33 gêneros e 62 espécies. A tribo Meliponini foi a mais abundante em número de indivíduos e espécies. As espécies mais abundantes foram Trigona chanchamayoensis (16,51%), Tetragona clavipes (14,79%) e Apis mellifera e Trigona recursa (12,33%). Este trabalho apresenta a primeira ocorrência no estado de Goiás para seis gêneros e 12 espécies.

Bees are dependent on flower nectar and pollen (main sources of protein and energy, respectively) and have an important economic and ecological role as pollinators, representing about 40 to 90% of phanerogams pollinators in several ecosystems. This work presents a description of bee species from Parque Municipal da Cachoeirinha in Iporá, Goiás state, Brazil. A total of 58 hours of capturing were performed on November and December 2004 and on March and May 2005. A total of 933 individuals were collected, distributed in one family, 16 tribes, 33 genera, and 62 species. Meliponini tribe presented the highest number of individuals and species. Most abundant species were Trigona chanchamayoensis (16.51%), Tetragona clavipes (14.79%) and Apis mellifera and Trigona recursa (12.33%). This work presents the first occurrence in Goiás state for six genera and 12 species.