AP-01: Insect visitors of checkpea (Cicer arietinum): comparison of quantitative and qualitative interactions of the plant with its main pollinators

Abstract

An inventory of insects visiting Checkpea (Cicer arietinum) flowers was established during three years (2021) in a plot in the Constantine region (Baaraouia). Four orders of insects were recorded on the flowers: Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera. The majority of the identified taxa were bees and included the honeybee, Apis mellifera, Megachilidae, Rhodanthidium sticticum including two species Anthidium florentinum and A. manicatum. The bees had higher visitation rates than Lepidopterans. The ‘quantitative’ interaction of the plant with its main visitors, determined by the abundance and the visitation rate, showed that R. sticticum and A. mellifera are the most dominant pollinators of the plant. Analysis of the ‘qualitative’ component of the interaction of C. arietinum with the fourmajor bees by counting pollen grains transported on their bodies revealed that R. sticticum, in addition to its dominance, was also the most efficient pollinator of the plant