| Description |
In recent decades many bee species, including Apis mellifera (European honeybee), have experienced worldwide population declines. In this paper we tested a novel molecular approach to evaluate foraging of A. mellifera Specifically, we sequenced trnL (UAA) intron DNA barcodes from isolated pollen from 7 hives during the spring of 2022. Using the Oxford Nanopore Technology we characterized more than 220,000 DNA barcode reads. We analyzed a sample of reads (n=190), most sequences were assigned with a high percentage identity to a sample database (>85%), and we were able to accurately identify matches for every sequence read. These preliminary results suggest that the trnL (UAA) intron sequence with ONT technologies is effective for identifying the presence of different plant species in bee pollen as an indicator for foraging patterns. Ultimately this methodology can be applied to understanding foraging patterns of bee species at low costs, in relatively quick time, and without the need for expertise in species identification. |
