Abstract Detail

Molecular Ecology

Sibert, Jade [1], Hoque, Miftaul [1], Baker, Stokes [1], Carmona, Victor [1].

Assessing Pollination Diversity in Detroit Beehives.

Urban beekeeping and farming in Detroit has become an innovative method to connect communities with sustainable agriculture. Hives of European honeybees (Apis mellifera) may provide ecosystem services by pollinating both food plants and native plants. To assess this possibility, a metagenomic approach will be used to determine what plant genera are visited by bees housed in beehives within the city limits of Detroit. To accomplish this goal, Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology is planned to be used. Primers that amplify a large segment of the nuclear rRNA locus (18S rRNA + inter-transcribed regions) were developed. Multiple sequence alignments from 42 plant orders were used to identify highly conserved sequences for PCR amplification. To confirm the efficacy of the primers, genomic DNA from six plant species was successfully used to produce the expected 2.5 kbp amplicon. The samples from three amplicons were sent for Sanger sequencing to confirm their identity. To conduct the metabarcoding experiment, honey was collected in the fall by two community-based organizations (Detroit Hives, and Bees in the D). DNA was successfully extracted from a few samples and has been successfully amplified with PCR. Additional DNA extractions are planned. DNA sequencing will commence soon.

1 - University of Detroit Mercy, Biology Department, 4001 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit, MI, 48221, United States

Keywords:
pollen
Pollenation
Urban
Beehive
Honey
Metabarcoding
18S rRNA
MinION
Long read sequencing
high-throughput sequencing .

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PME001
Abstract ID:948
Candidate for Awards:Phytochemical Best Poster Award