Using pollen DNA metabarcoding to profile nectar sources of urban beekeeping in Kōtō-ku, Tokyo

BMC Research Notes

Hazuki Nakadai¹  Mariko Shimizu-Kadota²  Yuh Shiwa³  Akinobu Nozaki⁴  Keisuke Tanaka⁵ 

[1] Department of Environmental Sciences, Musashino University, Kōtō-ku, 135-8181, Tokyo, Japan;Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Musashino University, Kōtō-ku, 135-8181, Tokyo, Japan;Musashino University Creating Happiness Incubation, Musashino University, Kōtō-ku, 135-8181, Tokyo, Japan;Department of Molecular Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Setagaya, 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan;Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Musashino University, Kōtō-ku, 135-8181, Tokyo, Japan;NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Setagaya, 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan;

关键词: Honeybee;    Urban beekeeping;    Nectar source;    Pollen;    DNA metabarcoding;    Metagenome;    Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase;    Chloroplast;    Next generation sequencing;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13104-020-05361-2

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

ObjectiveApis mellifera is a species of honeybee that has been introduced around the world as an industrial beekeeping species. Recently, urban beekeeping has attracted attention as a means of ecosystem protection and urban greening. This study aimed to investigate nectar sources of urban beekeeping in Kōtō-ku, Tokyo using pollen DNA metabarcoding.ResultsWe extracted DNA from pollen collected by the honeybees of a local urban beekeeping operation. DNA metabarcoding analysis was carried out by sequencing a part of the rbcL region of the chloroplast genome. A total of 31 samples collected between mid-March, 2018 and mid-October, 2018 yielded 54 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) comprising 14 families, 32 genera, and 8 species. Whereas 5 OTUs were profiled throughout all seasons, 38 OTUs were season-specific (spring, summer, or autumn). Therefore, we were able to infer seasonal nectar sources for the beekeeping operation at the family or genus level, as well as at the species level to a lesser extent. Our pollen-sampling strategy was effective for profiling season-specific nectar sources, with the exception of a few anomalies that can be accounted for by out-of-season flowering associated with artificial gardening and/or pollen accumulation over multiple seasons.

【 授权许可】

CC BY