Markers for the spatial and temporal differentiation of bee pollen harvested by Apis mellifera L. in the Eastern Andes of Colombia

The plant diversity present in Andean ecosystems is fundamental for the preservation of pollinator species, particularly for bees, due to their direct dependence on the supply of pollen and nectar. Palynology is an important tool in studying the interactions between bees and the flora of a region. This work aimed to determine the botanical composition of bee pollen harvested by Apis mellifera L. in the Altiplano Cundiboyacense over an altitudinal gradient to establish pollen markers that allow the geographic differentiation of the origin of bee products from the Eastern Andes of Colombia. Bee pollen samples were gathered in 2015 during both dry and rainy periods. The samples were acetolyzed and analyzed using a minimum count of 500 pollen grains per sample. Diversity and evenness were analyzed using the Shannon-Wiener and Pielou indexes respectively. Eighty-nine pollen types belonging to 43 botanical families were identified. The Asteraceae family had the greatest pollen richness (23 types), followed by Leguminosae (eight types). Statistical significant difference between climatic periods was revealed. The rainy period had higher richness and more exclusive pollen types than the dry period, while lower altitudinal zones had greater diversity and evenness than higher zones. The results demonstrate the importance of both native and introduced species as nutritional sources in the diet of honey bees and allow the establishment of pollen types that act as markers useful for recognizing the origin of apicultural products produced in the Eastern Andes of Colombia.