Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Biol Lett. 2018 Nov 14;14(11):20180530. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0530.
Pollinivory-the consumption of pollen rather than arthropod prey-is a defining feature of bees (Anthophila; the flower lovers). In virtually all bee species, larvae consume a diet composed of pollen mixed with nectar or floral oils. Bees arose from within a group of solitary, carnivorous, apoid wasps in the Early to Mid-Cretaceous, coincident with the rapid rise of flowering plants. It is assumed that the switch from carnivory to pollen-feeding was a key innovation that led to the rapid diversification of bees, but this has never been examined empirically. Here, we explore the hypothesis that pollinivory led to the increased diversification of bees. In contrast to common perception, we find that the switch to pollen-feeding does not explain their extensive diversification. Rather, our results indicate that pollinivory was a necessary but not sufficient condition for diversification, and that other complementary innovations, such as a broadening of host-plant diet, allowed the diversification of the major bee lineages. Our results have broad implications for understanding tempo and mode of bee diversification dynamics in light of their floral resources.
传粉（食用花粉而非节肢动物猎物）是蜜蜂（膜翅目；花的爱好者）的一个重要特征。在几乎所有的蜜蜂物种中，幼虫都以由花粉与花蜜或花油混合而成的食物为食。蜜蜂起源于早白垩世至中白垩世期间一群独居、肉食性、无翅蜂类（膜翅目）中，与开花植物的快速崛起时间重合。人们假设，从肉食性到花粉食性的转变是一个关键的创新，导致了蜜蜂的快速多样化，但这从未经过实证检验。在这里，我们探讨了传粉导致蜜蜂多样化增加的假说。与普遍的看法相反，我们发现，从肉食性到花粉食性的转变并不能解释它们的广泛多样化。相反，我们的结果表明，传粉是多样化的必要但非充分条件，而其他互补的创新，如宿主植物饮食的拓宽，允许了主要蜜蜂谱系的多样化。我们的结果对于理解蜜蜂多样化的时间和模式具有广泛的意义，因为它们与花卉资源有关。
