COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WILD BEES (HYMENOPTERA: APIDAE) ASSEMBLAGES AT ROCKY SALT LICK IN SUNGAI PAPAN, ROYAL BELUM STATE PARK, PERAK, MALAYSIA

Nuramirah Mat Zain, Norashikin Fauzi, Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran, Nur Qistina Abd Aziz

Abstract


Salt licks are unique natural features that play a significant role in supporting wildlife by providing essential ecological resources. Although extensively studied in relation to large mammals, the ecological relevance of salt licks to invertebrate communities, particularly pollinators such as wild bees, remains understudied. This research presents a comparative analysis of wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) assemblages at a rocky salt lick in Sungai Papan, Royal Belum State Park, Perak. A total of 196 individuals were recorded, comprising five identified taxa: Apis dorsata (58.16%), Heterotrigona itama (19.39%), Tetragonilla collina (16.84%), Tetragonilla atripes (3.57%) and Tetragonula melina (2.04%). The abundance of wild bee species appears to be influenced by specific mineral concentrations associated with rocky salt licks in the vicinity. In this study, five mineral components namely; Calcium (Ca), Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), Sodium (Na) and Zinc (Zn) were analyzed by using an Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). The highest Ca concentration was recorded during the dry season and wet season with values of 678.40 mg/kg and 1138.00 mg/kg, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated differential associations between mineral composition and wild bee abundance at the salt lick, contributing to the first baseline assessment in Malaysia of mineral-related patterns in wild bee assemblages within a natural rocky salt lick ecosystem. Understanding this interaction adds a new dimension to pollinator ecology and highlights the need to conserve unique microhabitats within tropical forest ecosystems.


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