NODAI Genome Research Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Setagaya, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan.
Graduate School of Environmental Sciences, Musashino University, Kōtō-ku, Tokyo, 135-8181, Japan.
BMC Res Notes. 2020 Nov 10;13(1):515. doi: 10.1186/s13104-020-05361-2.
Apis 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.
We 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.
蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）是一种已被引入世界各地作为工业养蜂物种的蜜蜂。最近，城市养蜂作为一种生态系统保护和城市绿化的手段引起了关注。本研究旨在使用花粉 DNA 代谢组学调查东京都葛饰区的城市养蜂的花蜜来源。
我们从当地城市养蜂场的蜜蜂采集的花粉中提取了 DNA。通过对叶绿体基因组的 rbcL 区域的一部分进行测序，进行了 DNA 代谢组学分析。在 2018 年 3 月中旬至 10 月中旬之间采集的 31 个样本共产生了 54 个操作分类单元（OTU），包括 14 个科、32 个属和 8 个种。虽然有 5 个 OTU 在所有季节都有分布，但 38 个 OTU 是季节性的（春季、夏季或秋季）。因此，我们能够在科或属的水平上推断出养蜂场的季节性花蜜来源，在一定程度上也能够推断出种的水平。我们的花粉采样策略对于分析季节性花蜜来源是有效的，除了一些异常情况，这些异常情况可以归因于与人工园艺相关的非季节性开花和/或多个季节的花粉积累。
