Impact of resource allocation on offspring production in six species of leaf cutter bees (Megachilidae: Hymenoptera)

Authors

  • Pradeep Sundahalli Devaraju Ph.D, Research Scholar, Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
  • Vasuki V. Belavadi Professor, Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Keywords:

resource allocation, maternal investment, leaf cutter bees

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to assess the amount of food provisioned by the mother to produce viable male and female offspring in six species of leaf-cutter bees, namely Megachile Lerma, Megachile cephalotes, Megachile stirostoma, Megachile lanata, Megachile disjunct and Megachile carbonara. Our findings suggest that the quantity of pollen mass deposited in the brood cell was related to the sex of the bee, with male cells receiving significantly lower pollen mass compared to females in all six species studied. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.70) between the quantity of pollen provisioned per cell with the body mass of the male and female adult bees in all six species.

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Published

2022-10-08

How to Cite

[1]
P. S. Devaraju and V. V. Belavadi, “Impact of resource allocation on offspring production in six species of leaf cutter bees (Megachilidae: Hymenoptera)”, J. Appl. Entomol., vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 09–13, Oct. 2022.

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 4 (2022)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2022 Pradeep Sundahalli Devaraju, Vasuki V. Belavadi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.