The avocado environmental mosaic of Michoacán primarily spans the mountainous region of the upper basin of the Balsas River, at altitudes between 1400 and 2100 meters. Avocado (<em>Persea americana</em>) orchards cover approximately 186,813 ha across at least 45 municipalities (where 50% or more of their territory is dedicated to avocado orchards), from the borders with the state of Mexico (in the extreme east) to the borders with the state of Jalisco (in the extreme west)(SIAP 2023). Within this mosaic, avocado orchards alternate with patches of native forests of various ages and degrees of disturbance and other crops such as berries (raspberries, strawberries), traditional maize-agriculture systems (milpa), forestry areas and population centers (SIAP 2023). Notably, the avocado mosaic also encompasses five national protected areas such as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, the Pico de Tancítaro Flora and Fauna Protection Area, and the Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park.Mexico is a country of bees! Mexico is home to approximately 2,100 wild bee species, representing 10% of the global richness of these insects (approx. 21,000 spp) (Michener 2000; Sagot et al. 2023). Wild bees, together with the honeybee (<em>Apis mellifera</em>) and other animal groups (e.g., Bats, Hummingbirds, Butterflies, Beetles) are recognised as pollinating agents for at least 1/3 of our food (Winfree et al. 2007; Ruiz-Toledo et al. 2020). In particular, at least 50 species of wild bees in Mexico have been documented as pollinating agents of high economic importance for their role in the production of chillies, tomatoes, beans, pumpkins, chayotes, oranges, and, of course, avocado (Vergara 2023). However, the richness of wild bees contributing to the pollination of agricultural products in Mexico is a growing field of applied research, so the number of species may be much greater.Avocado is, together with agave (<em>Agave tequilana</em>), an agricultural crop of high economic value for Mexico. However, the unregulated establishment and expansion in certain regions of the avocado belt have been linked to increased deforestation, restricted water access and availability, and increased application of agrochemical inputs for pest and weed control (Denvir et al. 2021, Latorre-Cárdenas et al. 2023). However, we have only just begun to understand the extent, direction, and magnitude of the impact of avocado mosaic establishment on biodiversity. Indeed, despite its economic importance, information on avocado floral visitors is relatively limited. Data on the communities of floral visitors and native pollinators in the Mexican avocado mosaic is much scarcer (and scattered) (Ish-Am et al. 1999; Castañeda-Vildózola et al. 1999; Can-Alonzo et al. 2005; Villamil et al. 2017; Dymond et al. 2021).In this sense, we need to increase our efforts to understand how the structure of native pollinating insect communities varies, which can not only visit avocado flowers but also contribute to the persistence of the (non-cultivated) flora associated with the avocado mosaic, and thus to the persistence of the ecosystem services they provide (e.g., pollination, insect pest control, water retention, maintenance of soil structure and nutrient fixation).Regarding wild bees, studies have reported at least nine species of Stingless Bees (Tribe: Meliponini) (Ish-Am et al. 1999, Castañeda-Vildózola et al. 1999, Can-Alonzo et al. 2005), three genera of wild bees as floral visitors to avocado (Ish-Am et al. 1999, Castañeda-Vildózola et al. 1999), six genera and three species as avocado pollen carriers (Villamil-Echeverri et al. 2014), and 20 genera and 50 species of wild bees as floral visitors to herbaceous plants associated with the avocado mosaic in Michoacán (Cultid-Medina et al. 2021; AGUHA Project Team 2022). Despite this, a comprehensive list with a high taxonomic resolution of the wild bee species that can be floral visitors and potential effective native pollinators of Michoacán avocado crops (excluding the honeybee, <em>Apis mellifera</em>) is still lacking.The most recent global review of avocado pollinating insects indicates that (Dymond et al. 2021): i) Although Mexico is part of the center of origin of avocado and one of the largest producers worldwide, only five studies have been formally published evaluating any aspect of insect contribution to avocado pollination ecology and ii) concerning bees, the few published studies have focused on <em>Apis mellifera</em> (a non-native species in the Americas) and at least four species of stingless bees (Tribe Meliponini). Therefore, we do not know the richness and structure of wild bee communities that may be associated with avocado cultivation and its agroecological environment.This dataset provides a taxonomic list, ecomorphological traits of valid species, and known distributions of these species on a global scale (at the country level) and in Mexico (at the state level). Importantly, taxonomy and ecomorphological traits are unified with the GBIF dataset “Taxonomic Diversity and Ecomorphological Traits of Wild Bees in Mexico and Mesoamerica” (Sagot et al. 2023).

TABLE 1. Collections from which material has been examined.AbbreviationAddressAMNHAmerican Museum of Natural History, New York, USABMECBohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California, USACASCalifornia Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USACNINColección Nacional de Insectos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, D.F, MéxicoECOABEl Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, MéxicoEMECEssig Museum Entomological Collection, University of California, Berkeley, California, USAINHSIllinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USALACMNatural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USAMNHPMuseum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, FranceMZFCMuseo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencia UNAM, D. F. MexicoNHMUKNatural History Museum, London, UKSDEISenckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Senckenberg, GermanySEMCSnow Entomological Museum Collection, Lawrence, Kansas, USAUCRCUniversity of California Riverside Entomology Research Museum, Riverside, California, USAUDLAPUniversidad de las Américas, Puebla, MéxicoUSDA-ARSBee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USAUSNMUnited State National Entomological Collection, Washington DC, USAVABVan Asperen de Boer, Amsterdam, Netherlands (now in Naturalis)ZMHBMuseum für Naturkunde an der Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, GermanyZMUCZoological Museum University of Copenhagen, DenmarkZSMZoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany

TABLE 1. Collections from which material has been examined.AbbreviationAddressAMNHAmerican Museum of Natural History, New York, USABMECBohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California, USACASCalifornia Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USACNINColección Nacional de Insectos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, D.F, MéxicoECOABEl Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, MéxicoEMECEssig Museum Entomological Collection, University of California, Berkeley, California, USAINHSIllinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USALACMNatural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USAMNHPMuseum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, FranceMZFCMuseo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencia UNAM, D. F. MexicoNHMUKNatural History Museum, London, UKSDEISenckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Senckenberg, GermanySEMCSnow Entomological Museum Collection, Lawrence, Kansas, USAUCRCUniversity of California Riverside Entomology Research Museum, Riverside, California, USAUDLAPUniversidad de las Américas, Puebla, MéxicoUSDA-ARSBee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USAUSNMUnited State National Entomological Collection, Washington DC, USAVABVan Asperen de Boer, Amsterdam, Netherlands (now in Naturalis)ZMHBMuseum für Naturkunde an der Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, GermanyZMUCZoological Museum University of Copenhagen, DenmarkZSMZoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany

The bee collection of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur is one of the largest of its kind in the country. This collection began in 1986, but it was not until 2002 that its digitization started thanks to the support of different organizations: CONABIO, CONACyT, and GBIF. It currently has more than 100,000 records of specimens corresponding to the following families: Melittidae, Andrenidae, Halictidae, Colletidae, Megachilidae, and Apidae. This dataset was obtained by recovering some specimens with information on plant-bee interactions. Taxonomic experts curated and extended this information to include ecomorphological features important for pollination.

El Parque Nacional Barraca del Cupatitzio es un área esencial para los habitantes de la subcuenca del Río Cupatitzio, aporta servicios ecosistémicos de conservación de la biodiversidad, regulación del clima, captura de carbono, producción de oxígeno y la regulación de agua. A partir del año 2000 se realizó un convenio en el que la Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas se responsabiliza del manejo y conservación del PNBC para lograr un óptimo aprovechamiento. El PNBC en su zona de montaña comprende un área de 458.21 ha dominada por pinos, parches de pino – encino y con elementos de bosque mesófilo. El parque protege los manantiales que dan origen al Río Cupatitzio además de especies de hongos, plantas y algunos vertebrados, cuenta con 28 especies endémicas de México (CONANP, 2006).Sin embargo, hasta la fecha el PNBC no contaba con un inventario sistemático de la riqueza de especies de abejas nativas. Teniendo en cuenta la acelerada expansión de la frontera agrícola en el estado de Michoacán y al creciente riesgo sobre la disponibilidad y persistencia de servicios ecosistémicos claves como la polinización, el PNBC en conjunto con las ANPs bajo Regional Occidente Pacífico Centro de la CONANP, son enclaves de alta relevancia para el estudio, manejo y conservación de grupos de polinizadores nativos esenciales para garantizar la viabilidad ambiental, no sólo de los ecosistemas nativos, sino también del mosaico agrícola de la región y de México.Incrementar la visibilidad del PNBC como reservorio de diversidad de abejas nativas depende directamente de cuánto sea reconocida el área por parte de sus directores beneficiarios. En el caso del PNBC, parte de sus directos beneficiarios son los habitantes de las cabeceras municipales de Uruapan y San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro. En particular, un sector importante de estos directos beneficiarios son las y los estudiantes de la facultad de agrobiología “Presidente Juárez” de la Universidad Michoacana San Nicolas de Hidalgo. Involucrar a este sector de la comunidad es importante debido a que serán los profesionales que asesoran o tomarán decisiones sobre el manejo de la matriz agrícola que rodea, no sólo a al PNBC, sino también a los parches de vegetación nativa a lo largo y ancho de la franja aguacatera de Michoacán. Por lo tanto, un Monitoreo Participativo permite acercar y mostrar a la comunidad el aporte de la PNBC para garantizar la persistencia del servicio de polinización que prestan organismos como las abejas nativas. De esta forma, entre el 2018 y 2022 el Monitoreo Participativo ha contado con el apoyo de al menos 12 estudiantes de agronomía, quienes han recibido apoyo en el marco de un PROCODES (2018) y cuatro PROREST (2019 - 2022).

Understanding the intricate relationships between plants and bees is fundamental to unravel the dynamics of pollination and its crucial role in ecosystems. This study presents a meticulous compilation of reported observed interactions between plants and wild bees in Mexico and Central America. The compilation draws upon diverse sources, including entomological collections such as BBSL, SEMC, UDLAP, ECOAB, and data from the Xicotli Data iNaturalist project.To ensure accuracy and consistency, a team of plant experts engaged in rigorous name verification and functional trait assignment for the plants documented in the checklist. This process involved a thorough review of specialized literature, including taxonomic descriptions, catalogs, and web platforms (e.g. ipni.org, enciclovida.mx). The assigned functional traits encompass life form, corolla color, and corolla shape.This comprehensive compilation serves as a valuable resource for researchers and conservationists seeking to deepen their understanding of the intricate interplay between plants and bees in this region. The documented observations provide insights into the diversity of plant-bee interactions, while the assigned functional traits shed light on the characteristics that contribute to successful pollination

This dataset includes 2,757 bee taxa from Mexico and Mesoamerica from the database of the Bee Collection of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico (ECOAB). The bees were determined at the species, genus, or morphospecies level designated by ECOAB. Each taxon was assigned ecomorphological traits: body size, nesting site, sociality, and body structure for pollen transport. For size, smaller, same size, and larger categories were assigned with respect size of Apis mellifera (approx. 10 mm) as a model. To describe nesting habits, the categories underground and aboveground were used for taxa nesting below ground and above ground respectively (regardless of substrate or nesting form). Social, solitary, and parasitic categories were used to describe sociality based on Danforth et al. 2019. Pollen transport structure categories were Scopa, Corbicula, and No pollen collector. In the case of the scopa, its location was specified: leg, referring to the hind leg; ventral, referring to the metasomal sternites, and propodeal. The information assigned to the taxa came from bibliographic searches, observations of specimens, and previous field observations.