Application of ITS2 metabarcoding to determine the provenance of pollen collected by honey bees in an agroecosystem.

ABSTRACT:

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Premise of the study

Melissopalynology, the identification of bee-collected pollen, provides insight into the flowers exploited by foraging bees. Information provided by melissopalynology could guide floral enrichment efforts aimed at supporting pollinators, but it has rarely been used because traditional methods of pollen identification are laborious and require expert knowledge. We approach melissopalynology in a novel way, employing a molecular method to study the pollen foraging of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in a landscape dominated by field crops, and compare these results to those obtained by microscopic melissopalynology. •

Methods

Pollen was collected from honey bee colonies in Madison County, Ohio, USA, during a two-week period in midspring and i

SUBMITTER: Richardson RT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4298230 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature