antognoni e , calzoni g.l., pari e., fonti p., rondinini t., felicioli

REDIA, LXXXVII, 2004: 211-214
FABIANA ANTOGNONI (*) - GIAN LORENZO CALZONI (*) - ELENA PARI (**) - PAOLO FONTI (**)
TIZIANO RONDININI (***) - ANTONIO FELICIOLI (****) - ANTONIO GNES (°)
BIOECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MASON BEE
(OSMIA CORNUTA LATR., HYMENOPTERA APIDAE): PRELIMINARY RESULTS
(*) Dipartimento di Biologia E. S., Università di Bologna, via Irnerio 42, 40126 Bologna, E-mail: [email protected]
(**) Gruppo CSA - S.p.A., via al Torrente 22, 47900 Rimini.
(***) Associazione Romagnola Apicultori, via Uccellini 7, 48100 Ravenna.
(****) Dipartimento di Anatomia, Biochimica e Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di Pisa, v.le delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa
(°) ARPA, Sezione Provinciale di Ravenna, via Alberoni 17, 48100 Ravenna.
Antognoni F., Calzoni G.L., Pari E., Fonti P., Rondinini T., Felicioli A., Gnes A. - Bioecological aspects of mason bee
(Osmia cornuta Latr., Hymenoptera Apidae): preliminary results.
The present work investigates the mason bee (Osmia cornuta Latr.) as potential bioindicator of bioecological
variations by using both nest position and pollen availability. Monitoring stations were located near Faenza (Northern
Italy), in two quite different areas relative to anthropogenic pollution. Heavy metal content in the mud of pedotrophic
cells, in foraged pollen and in the whole insect was monitored. After a three year period of analysis our results suggest a
correlation between these bioindicators and the environment. Furthermore, an integrated index is presented, which
evaluates the quality of the investigated sites.
KEY WORDS: Osmia, bioindicator, heavy metals (HM), pollution, pollen, bioecology.