ANDIV3: Diversity and biotic interactions of bees and wasps along a forest elevational gradient in the Peruvian Andes
ANDIV3 will study diversity patterns and biotic interactions of bees and wasps along the Peruvian elevation gradient. Field observations and experiments on species richness, abundance, morphological and physiological traits, and mutualistic and antagonistic biotic interactions of bees and wasps will be combined with (meta)barcoding of functional groups, stored pollen and arthropod prey. Bee and wasp diversity, plant-pollinator and host-antagonist interactions will be studied with transect observations, traps nests and pan traps during the dry and wet season on 30 study sites. In cooperation with ANDIV4 the hidden interactions of bees and wasps with microbial communities will be assessed. The results will allow to test general hypotheses on the role of bottom-up resource limitation, top-down control and interactive effects of temperature and precipitation as drivers of biodiversity patterns. Together with the other three ANDIV projects on moth, dung insects and microbial communities this project will allow integrative data analyses to improve the understanding of drivers of holometabolous insect diversity, community assembly, traits and interaction networks.