Examinando por Autor "Dorado Suárez, Juan Camilo"

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    Behavioral and volatile profiles of orchid bees (Sub-genus Euglossa): Unveiling diversity and chemical ecology in an andean forests
    (Universidad de los Andes, 2025-12-03) Dorado Suárez, Juan Camilo; Molina Escobar, Jorge Alberto; Ramírez, Santiago; Riaño Pachon, Diego Mauricio; Benavides López, José Luis; Facultad de Ciencias::Centro de investigaciones en microbiología y parasitología tropical
    Bees are among the most diverse and ecologically significant groups of insects. Orchid bees (Euglossa spp.) are key pollinators in Neotropical forests whose males collect aromatic compounds to create complex perfumes used in courtship. However, little is known about the diversity and chemical ecology of Andean populations of orchid bees or how environmental factors influence their behavior. This study combined field and laboratory approaches to characterize the behavioral activity and perfume chemistry of Euglossa males from a sub Andean forests in La Vega, Cundinamarca (Colombia), and to test the effects of chronic CO₂ exposure on their locomotor and odor-guided behavior. 52 males were collected and identified into 20 morphotypes based on morphological diagnostic traits. Field observations showed that environmental temperature significantly affected activity, with bees spending less time resting at higher temperatures. In olfactometer assays, individuals exposed to elevated CO₂ (800 ppm) moved more slowly and traveled shorter distances than controls, indicating reduced locomotor performance, though no differences in odor preference were detected. Chemical analyses of hind-tibial extracts revealed 62 volatile compounds dominated by terpenoids and alcohols; eucalyptol was the most recurrent compound and benzyl alcohol the most abundant. Perfume quantity, complexity, and volatility showed high individual variability. These results provide the first description of tibial volatiles for Andean Euglossa species and evidence that chronic CO₂ exposure can alter locomotor behavior. Together, they highlight the remarkable diversity of sub-Andean orchid bees and the need for further studies on how environmental change influences their sensory ecology.