Influence of land use on melliferous flora and Apis mellifera (honeybee) foraging in west african

Résumé fourni par la source

Land use intensification threatens pollinator-dependent tropical ecosystems. However, studies linking melliferous flora to honeybee forage resources in West African ecosystems remain poorly. This study evaluated floristic composition and honeybee foraging across agroforestry systems (fallow land and farmland) and protected areas surrounding local apiaries in Burkina Faso (West Africa). Ninety floristic surveys identified 48 melliferous woody species from 16 families and 35 genera, dominated by Fabaceae (41.12%), Combretaceae (32.12%), and Sapotaceae (12.69%). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling revealed significant floristic divergence among land uses (Stress = 0.174; r = 0.214; p = 0.001). Farmlands showed the highest individuals (6.6±2.3 m; p = 0.00432) with the largest diameter (27.9±19.5 cm; p=6.31E-5) while protected areas showed the greatest tree density (280.4 ± 132.5 trees/ha; p=6.78E-9). Vitellaria paradoxa dominated all land uses (IVI: farmland 99.03%, protected areas 41.94%, fallow 30.06%). Indicator species analysis identified 19 significant species, with Combretum glutinosum (IndVal = 0.730) and T erminalia avicennioides (IndVal = 0.712) characterizing fallow land and protected area while farmland lacked specific indicators. Protected areas supported extended bee foraging periods (≥3 months) with multiple high-density species, including Mitragyna inermis (5-month flowering duration). These findings highlight the importance of conserving melliferous flora and integrating afforestation into land management to sustain pollination services and enhance beehive productivity in West African ecosystems.

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