Pollen metabarcoding reveals broad and species-specific resource use by urban bees

Authors: Potter, C., De Vere, N., Jones, L.E., Ford, C.R., Hegarty, M.J., Hodder, K.H., Diaz, A. and Franklin, E.L.

Journal: PeerJ

Volume: 2019

Issue: 2

eISSN: 2167-8359

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5999

Abstract:

Bee populations are currently undergoing severe global declines driven by the interactive effects of a number of factors. Ongoing urbanisation has the potential to exacerbate bee declines, unless steps are taken to ensure appropriate floral resources are available. Sown wildflower strips are one way in which floral resources can be provided to urban bees. However, the use of these strips by pollinators in urban environments remains little studied. Here, we employ pollen metabarcoding of the rbcL gene to compare the foraging patterns of different bee species observed using urban sown wildflower strips in July 2016, with a goal of identifying which plant species are most important for bees. We also demonstrate the use of a non-destructive method of pollen collection. Bees were found to forage on a wide variety of plant genera and families, including a diverse range of plants from outside the wildflower plots, suggesting that foragers visiting sown wildflower strips also utilize other urban habitats. Particular plants within the wildflower strips dominated metabarcoding data, particularly Papaver rhoeas and Phacelia tanacetifolia. Overall, we demonstrate that pollinators observed in sown wildflower strips use certain sown foodplants as part of a larger urban matrix.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/31924/

Source: Scopus

Pollen metabarcoding reveals broad and species-specific resource use by urban bees.

Authors: Potter, C., de Vere, N., Jones, L.E., Ford, C.R., Hegarty, M.J., Hodder, K.H., Diaz, A. and Franklin, E.L.

Journal: PeerJ

Volume: 7

Pages: e5999

ISSN: 2167-8359

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5999

Abstract:

Bee populations are currently undergoing severe global declines driven by the interactive effects of a number of factors. Ongoing urbanisation has the potential to exacerbate bee declines, unless steps are taken to ensure appropriate floral resources are available. Sown wildflower strips are one way in which floral resources can be provided to urban bees. However, the use of these strips by pollinators in urban environments remains little studied. Here, we employ pollen metabarcoding of the rbcL gene to compare the foraging patterns of different bee species observed using urban sown wildflower strips in July 2016, with a goal of identifying which plant species are most important for bees. We also demonstrate the use of a non-destructive method of pollen collection. Bees were found to forage on a wide variety of plant genera and families, including a diverse range of plants from outside the wildflower plots, suggesting that foragers visiting sown wildflower strips also utilize other urban habitats. Particular plants within the wildflower strips dominated metabarcoding data, particularly Papaver rhoeas and Phacelia tanacetifolia. Overall, we demonstrate that pollinators observed in sown wildflower strips use certain sown foodplants as part of a larger urban matrix.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/31924/

Source: PubMed

Pollen metabarcoding reveals broad and species-specific resource use by urban bees

Authors: Potter, C., de Vere, N., Jones, L.E., Ford, C.R., Hegarty, M.J., Hodder, K.H., Diaz, A. and Franklinz, E.L.

Journal: PEERJ

Volume: 7

ISSN: 2167-8359

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5999

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/31924/

Source: Web of Science (Lite)

Pollen metabarcoding reveals broad and species-specific resource use by urban bees.

Authors: Potter, C., de Vere, N., Jones, L.E., Ford, C.R., Hegarty, M.J., Hodder, K.H., Diaz, A. and Franklin, E.L.

Journal: PeerJ

Volume: 7:e5999 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5999

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5999

Abstract:

Bee populations are currently undergoing severe global declines driven by the interactive effects of a number of factors. Ongoing urbanisation has the potential to exacerbate bee declines, unless steps are taken to ensure appropriate floral resources are available. Sown wildflower strips are one way in which floral resources can be provided to urban bees. However, the use of these strips by pollinators in urban environments remains little studied. Here, we employ pollen metabarcoding of the rbcL gene to compare the foraging patterns of different bee species observed using urban sown wildflower strips in July 2016, with a goal of identifying which plant species are most important for bees. We also demonstrate the use of a non-destructive method of pollen collection. Bees were found to forage on a wide variety of plant genera and families, including a diverse range of plants from outside the wildflower plots, suggesting that foragers visiting sown wildflower strips also utilize other urban habitats. Particular plants within the wildflower strips dominated metabarcoding data, particularly Papaver rhoeas and Phacelia tanacetifolia. Overall, we demonstrate that pollinators observed in sown wildflower strips use certain sown foodplants as part of a larger urban matrix.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/31924/

Source: Manual

Pollen metabarcoding reveals broad and species-specific resource use by urban bees.

Authors: Potter, C., de Vere, N., Jones, L.E., Ford, C.R., Hegarty, M.J., Hodder, K.H., Diaz, A. and Franklin, E.L.

Journal: PeerJ

Volume: 7

Pages: e5999

eISSN: 2167-8359

ISSN: 2167-8359

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5999

Abstract:

Bee populations are currently undergoing severe global declines driven by the interactive effects of a number of factors. Ongoing urbanisation has the potential to exacerbate bee declines, unless steps are taken to ensure appropriate floral resources are available. Sown wildflower strips are one way in which floral resources can be provided to urban bees. However, the use of these strips by pollinators in urban environments remains little studied. Here, we employ pollen metabarcoding of the rbcL gene to compare the foraging patterns of different bee species observed using urban sown wildflower strips in July 2016, with a goal of identifying which plant species are most important for bees. We also demonstrate the use of a non-destructive method of pollen collection. Bees were found to forage on a wide variety of plant genera and families, including a diverse range of plants from outside the wildflower plots, suggesting that foragers visiting sown wildflower strips also utilize other urban habitats. Particular plants within the wildflower strips dominated metabarcoding data, particularly Papaver rhoeas and Phacelia tanacetifolia. Overall, we demonstrate that pollinators observed in sown wildflower strips use certain sown foodplants as part of a larger urban matrix.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/31924/

Source: Europe PubMed Central

Pollen metabarcoding reveals broad and species-specific resource use by urban bees.

Authors: Potter, C., de Vere, N., Jones, L.E., Ford, C.R., Hegarty, M.J., Hodder, K.H., Diaz, A. and Franklin, E.

Journal: PeerJ

Volume: 7

ISSN: 2167-8359

Abstract:

Bee populations are currently undergoing severe global declines driven by the interactive effects of a number of factors. Ongoing urbanisation has the potential to exacerbate bee declines, unless steps are taken to ensure appropriate floral resources are available. Sown wildflower strips are one way in which floral resources can be provided to urban bees. However, the use of these strips by pollinators in urban environments remains little studied. Here, we employ pollen metabarcoding of the rbcL gene to compare the foraging patterns of different bee species observed using urban sown wildflower strips in July 2016, with a goal of identifying which plant species are most important for bees. We also demonstrate the use of a non-destructive method of pollen collection. Bees were found to forage on a wide variety of plant genera and families, including a diverse range of plants from outside the wildflower plots, suggesting that foragers visiting sown wildflower strips also utilize other urban habitats. Particular plants within the wildflower strips dominated metabarcoding data, particularly Papaver rhoeas and Phacelia tanacetifolia. Overall, we demonstrate that pollinators observed in sown wildflower strips use certain sown foodplants as part of a larger urban matrix.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/31924/

Source: BURO EPrints