Urban Landscape Influence Orchid Bee Diversity in a Tropical Megacity

The increasing urbanization has affected pollinator communities, such as Euglossini bees, which play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity through the pollination of numerous plants. However, the impact of different levels of urbanization on the diversity of these bees is still not fully understood, especially in large tropical urban areas. This study investigated the diversity and distribution of Euglossini bees in nine urban parks, providing a first systematic baseline for the largest city in South America and analysing how urbanization influences this community. Bees were actively collected using aromatic baits in parks spanning a gradient of urbanization levels. Linear models investigated the relationships between landscape variables and bee diversity. In addition, species composition was evaluated using the Bray‐Curtis coefficient and cluster analysis to identify patterns of similarity between parks. During a single sampling campaign in spring 2024, we sampled Euglossini bees in nine urban parks, recording 427 individuals belonging to 12 species. Euglossa cordata was the most abundant species in parks with a higher urbanization gradient, while Eufriesea violacea showed higher abundance in less urbanized areas. Urban cover in the surrounding landscape tended to be negatively associated with bee diversity indices (Shannon and Simpson), although these relationships were not statistically significant. Nevertheless, consistent negative trends across spatial scales suggest that urbanization may exert a subtle influence on Euglossini diversity. Some parks with medium to high urban cover still supported relatively high diversity, suggesting that urban matrices do not necessarily preclude diverse bee communities when suitable local and landscape resources are present. The results highlight the importance of connectivity with green areas and the conservation of native vegetation to preserve Euglossini bees in urban environments. The study contributes to the understanding of urbanization impacts and provides practical directions for the management of urban parks, aiming to promote biodiversity and pollination services.