Naturalized Orchid Bee Pollinates Resin-reward Flowers in Florida: Novel and Known Mutualisms

Females of an orchid bee, Euglossa viridissima, recently naturalized in southern Florida, routinely collect resin to construct their brood cells from the flowers of two Clusia (Clusiaceae) and two Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae) species. We demonstrated that the bee pollinates three of these species including: (1) the newly naturalized D. scandens, which it pollinates in Mexico; (2) the ornamental D. aristolochiifolia native to Peru; and (3) the ornamental C. lanceolata native to Brazil, but not the apomictic Clusia rosea native to Florida. Field observations indicated that the bee promotes outcrossing in a naturalized D. scandens population. Comparisons of fruit set between unmanipulated control flowers and flowers supplemented with additional pollen indicated that the presence of bee eliminates pollen limitation for cultivated C lanceolata. The orchid bee's pollination of ornamental resin-reward plants may promote their naturalization.