Data from: Plant traits associated with nesting resources and flower availability determine bee’s functional trait diversity in a highly diverse tropical Amazon Forest

Functional traits help understand biological diversity and the mechanism
by which ecological communities are structured and how they respond to the
environment. For example, the high tree species diversity within tropical
forests can be grouped into a few functional attributes like wood density,
size, and dependence on animal pollination or seed dispersal. However,
little is known about how these traits influence animal taxonomic and
functional diversity. We carried out a vegetation census on six plots (20
x 100 m) within the National Forest of Carajás (Amazon biome) to identify
forest canopy species and their functional traits. Within the same plot,
we also applied three bee sampling methods (entomological nets, honey
traps, and scent traps). By characterizing the functional traits of trees
and bees, we were able to predict bee functional diversity better than
with taxonomic diversity alone via combinations of tree traits like size,
wood density, dependence on pollinators, and extinction risk. We found
that the basal area of trees with low wood density was negatively
associated with small, eusocial tree cavity-nesting bees. The richness of
medium-sized solitary bees was positively associated with the richness and
abundance of trees with extinction risk. The community dominance (average
diameter at the basal area) of pollinator—dependent trees was negatively
associated with the richness of aboveground and cavity-nesting bees. Our
findings suggest that tree community composition limits the availability
of nesting resources for specific bee groups. Moreover, the presence of
trees with high conservation value was associated with a greater variety
of bee traits and was the only metric associated with overall bee
richness. As expected, functional traits shed light on the
mechanism that might drive high diversity within tropical forests.
Moreover, there seems to be complementarity in terms of conservation value
and carbon stock potential, as areas harboring tree species with
extinction risk and higher wood density are also those with overall
greater bee and functional diversity. Finally, our study can contribute to
the restoration of plant—pollinator community by providing an
understanding of the vegetation community that contributes to biodiversity
maintenance.