Researchers have found that a "DNA soup" made of crushed bees may help contribute to the efficient comprehension and reversal of bee decline.
The new study may aid conservationists to identify the time and location associated with the loss of bees, as well as evaluate the effects of current conservation measures.
The group of researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) obtained bee samples from varied areas in the Hampshire Downs, the Chilterns and Low Weald. The researchers then extracted the bees totaling to 204 and the end soup product was then placed under a DNA sequencer.
The raw DNA of the samples were studied opposite the genomes of the insects' mitochondria through a computer program.
As each bee species has a unique genome, the scientists were able to determine the type of species existing in each soup sample. The results were fairly accurate.
Through the said method, the scientists were also able to provide estimates of the biomass supplied by each species as a DNA-amplification strategy was skipped and not required. This also enabled the researchers to trace possible population targets.
The study published in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution shows that through the DNA soup method, detecting large-scale bee populations may be done through a faster, more cost-effective and more accurate method.
Traditional methods for monitoring bees involve the individual collection and study of the species under the microscope. It is generally slow, entails high cost and is more prone to errors. With this, the UK's National Pollinator Strategy, which is looking at starting a massive bee monitoring program, may turn its attention away from these infeasible methods as the number of populations required for the program are quite large. The newly developed "bee soup" strategy, which involves the reading of the resulting DNA components of the specimens, may be the answer to make the large-scale project a success.
"Insect soup is a sensitive thermometer for the state of nature. And large-scale bee monitoring programmes would really benefit from this type of DNA sequencing," said Dr Douglas Yu, lead researcher from UEA's School of Biology.
"The method can easily be scaled up to track more species, like the 1,000 or so total pollinating insects in the UK."
Through this method, experts may identify the locations of abundant and diverse species, and also understand how farming strategies can affect the differences in the species. The biodiversity of the species may be identified through a little amount of the bee soup and hence save on time and costs and reduce the inaccuracy of findings.
Wild bees are among the main pollinators of plants and crops, which makes them a crucial component of food production and biodiversity. However, bees are faced with problems such as habitat loss, climate change and pesticide exposure. Priority must therefore be given to protecting their population and pollination services, said Yu.
The research was a collaboration between the UEA, University of Reading, Conservation Grade, China National GeneBank and the Kunming Institute of Zoology.
Photo: Vipin Baliga | Flickr
