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Barnes CM, Power AL, Barber DG, Tennant RK, Jones RT, Lee GR, Hatton J, Elliott A, Zaragoza-Castells J, Haley SM, Summers HD, Doan M, Carpenter AE, Rees P, Love J. Deductive automated pollen classification in environmental samples via exploratory deep learning and imaging flow cytometry. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:1305-1326. [PMID: 37678361 PMCID: PMC10594409 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Pollen and tracheophyte spores are ubiquitous environmental indicators at local and global scales. Palynology is typically performed manually by microscopic analysis; a specialised and time-consuming task limited in taxonomical precision and sampling frequency, therefore restricting data quality used to inform climate change and pollen forecasting models. We build on the growing work using AI (artificial intelligence) for automated pollen classification to design a flexible network that can deal with the uncertainty of broad-scale environmental applications. We combined imaging flow cytometry with Guided Deep Learning to identify and accurately categorise pollen in environmental samples; here, pollen grains captured within c. 5500 Cal yr BP old lake sediments. Our network discriminates not only pollen included in training libraries to the species level but, depending on the sample, can classify previously unseen pollen to the likely phylogenetic order, family and even genus. Our approach offers valuable insights into the development of a widely transferable, rapid and accurate exploratory tool for pollen classification in 'real-world' environmental samples with improved accuracy over pure deep learning techniques. This work has the potential to revolutionise many aspects of palynology, allowing a more detailed spatial and temporal understanding of pollen in the environment with improved taxonomical resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire M. Barnes
- College of Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
| | - Ann L. Power
- Biosciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Daniel G. Barber
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Richard K. Tennant
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | | | - G. Rob Lee
- Biosciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Jackie Hatton
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Angela Elliott
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Joana Zaragoza-Castells
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Stephen M. Haley
- Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economics, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK
| | - Huw D. Summers
- College of Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
| | - Minh Doan
- Bioimaging Analytics, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Upper Providence, PA 19426, United States
| | - Anne E. Carpenter
- Imaging Platform, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts MA 02142, United States
| | - Paul Rees
- College of Engineering, Swansea University, Bay Campus, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK
- Imaging Platform, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts MA 02142, United States
| | - John Love
- Biosciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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Woodcock BA, Oliver AE, Newbold LK, Soon Gweon H, Read DS, Sayed U, Savage J, Bacon J, Upcott E, Howell K, Turvey K, Roy DB, Gloria Pereira M, Sleep D, Greenop A, Pywell RF. Citizen science monitoring reveals links between honeybee health, pesticide exposure and seasonal availability of floral resources. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14331. [PMID: 35995928 PMCID: PMC9395358 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18672-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We use a national citizen science monitoring scheme to quantify how agricultural intensification affects honeybee diet breadth (number of plant species). To do this we used DNA metabarcoding to identify the plants present in 527 honey samples collected in 2019 across Great Britain. The species richness of forage plants was negatively correlated with arable cropping area, although this was only found early in the year when the abundance of flowering plants was more limited. Within intensively farmed areas, honeybee diets were dominated by Brassica crops (including oilseed rape). We demonstrate how the structure and complexity of honeybee foraging relationships with plants is negatively affected by the area of arable crops surrounding hives. Using information collected from the beekeepers on the incidence of an economically damaging bee disease (Deformed Wing Virus) we found that the occurrence of this disease increased where bees foraged in agricultural land where there was a high use of foliar insecticides. Understanding impacts of land use on resource availability is fundamental to assessing long-term viability of pollinator populations. These findings highlight the importance of supporting temporally timed resources as mitigation strategies to support wider pollinator population viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben A Woodcock
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK.
| | - Anna E Oliver
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Lindsay K Newbold
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - H Soon Gweon
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6UR, UK
| | - Daniel S Read
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Ujala Sayed
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Joanna Savage
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Jim Bacon
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Ave., Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Emily Upcott
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Katherine Howell
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Katharine Turvey
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - David B Roy
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - M Gloria Pereira
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Ave., Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Darren Sleep
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Ave., Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Arran Greenop
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Richard F Pywell
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK
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Quaresma A, Brodschneider R, Gratzer K, Gray A, Keller A, Kilpinen O, Rufino J, van der Steen J, Vejsnæs F, Pinto MA. Preservation methods of honey bee-collected pollen are not a source of bias in ITS2 metabarcoding. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:785. [PMID: 34755261 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09563-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Pollen metabarcoding is emerging as a powerful tool for ecological research and offers unprecedented scale in citizen science projects for environmental monitoring via honey bees. Biases in metabarcoding can be introduced at any stage of sample processing and preservation is at the forefront of the pipeline. While in metabarcoding studies pollen has been preserved at - 20 °C (FRZ), this is not the best method for citizen scientists. Herein, we compared this method with ethanol (EtOH), silica gel (SG) and room temperature (RT) for preservation of pollen collected from hives in Austria and Denmark. After ~ 4 months of storage, DNAs were extracted with a food kit, and their quality and concentration measured. Most DNA extracts exhibited 260/280 absorbance ratios close to the optimal 1.8, with RT samples from Austria performing slightly worse than FRZ and SG samples (P < 0.027). Statistical differences were also detected for DNA concentration, with EtOH samples producing lower yields than RT and FRZ samples in both countries and SG in Austria (P < 0.042). Yet, qualitative and quantitative assessments of floral composition obtained using high-throughput sequencing with the ITS2 barcode gave non-significant effects of preservation methods on richness, relative abundance and Shannon diversity, in both countries. While freezing and ethanol are commonly employed for archiving tissue for molecular applications, desiccation is cheaper and easier to use regarding both storage and transportation. Since SG is less dependent on ambient humidity and less prone to contamination than RT, we recommend SG for preserving pollen for metabarcoding. SG is straightforward for laymen to use and hence robust for widespread application in citizen science studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Quaresma
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Kristina Gratzer
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Alison Gray
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Alexander Keller
- Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, Hubland Nord, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Bioinformatics, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, BiocenterWürzburg, Germany
| | | | - José Rufino
- Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal
| | | | | | - M Alice Pinto
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253, Bragança, Portugal.
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CSI Pollen: Diversity of Honey Bee Collected Pollen Studied by Citizen Scientists. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12110987. [PMID: 34821788 PMCID: PMC8625907 DOI: 10.3390/insects12110987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A diverse supply of pollen is an important factor for honey bee health, but information about the pollen diversity available to colonies at the landscape scale is largely missing. In this COLOSS study, beekeeper citizen scientists sampled and analyzed the diversity of pollen collected by honey bee colonies. As a simple measure of diversity, beekeepers determined the number of colors found in pollen samples that were collected in a coordinated and standardized way. Altogether, 750 beekeepers from 28 different regions from 24 countries participated in the two-year study and collected and analyzed almost 18,000 pollen samples. Pollen samples contained approximately six different colors in total throughout the sampling period, of which four colors were abundant. We ran generalized linear mixed models to test for possible effects of diverse factors such as collection, i.e., whether a minimum amount of pollen was collected or not, and habitat type on the number of colors found in pollen samples. To identify habitat effects on pollen diversity, beekeepers' descriptions of the surrounding landscape and CORINE land cover classes were investigated in two different models, which both showed that both the total number and the rare number of colors in pollen samples were positively affected by 'urban' habitats or 'artificial surfaces', respectively. This citizen science study underlines the importance of the habitat for pollen diversity for bees and suggests higher diversity in urban areas.
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Gratzer K, Brodschneider R. How and why beekeepers participate in the INSIGNIA citizen science honey bee environmental monitoring project. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:37995-38006. [PMID: 33728609 PMCID: PMC8302492 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-13379-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
In the "contributory" citizen science project INSIGNIA, beekeepers carried out non-invasive sampling of their own honey bee colonies for an environmental investigation of pesticide residues and pollen plant origin. We surveyed several traits and attitudes of 69 of the volunteering beekeepers from ten countries. We found that their motivation was similar to that found in previous studies of environmental volunteer motivation, with helping the environment and contributing to scientific knowledge being strong motivators. Our results suggest that receiving laboratory analysis results of the samples from their colonies is the most meaningful way of appreciation for beekeepers, but is not their primary reason for participation. A citizen scientist beekeeper in this study spent on average 10.4 working hours on the project during a sampling season. Our study indicates that most of our volunteers would participate in similar future investigations, or would recommend participation to other beekeepers, underlining the potential of beekeepers as citizen scientists in honey bee research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Gratzer
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz, 8010 Austria
| | - Robert Brodschneider
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, Graz, 8010 Austria
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Rasmussen C, Dupont YL, Madsen HB, Bogusch P, Goulson D, Herbertsson L, Maia KP, Nielsen A, Olesen JM, Potts SG, Roberts SPM, Sydenham MAK, Kryger P. Evaluating competition for forage plants between honey bees and wild bees in Denmark. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250056. [PMID: 33909661 PMCID: PMC8081269 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A recurrent concern in nature conservation is the potential competition for forage plants between wild bees and managed honey bees. Specifically, that the highly sophisticated system of recruitment and large perennial colonies of honey bees quickly exhaust forage resources leading to the local extirpation of wild bees. However, different species of bees show different preferences for forage plants. We here summarize known forage plants for honey bees and wild bee species at national scale in Denmark. Our focus is on floral resources shared by honey bees and wild bees, with an emphasis on both threatened wild bee species and foraging specialist species. Across all 292 known bee species from Denmark, a total of 410 plant genera were recorded as forage plants. These included 294 plant genera visited by honey bees and 292 plant genera visited by different species of wild bees. Honey bees and wild bees share 176 plant genera in Denmark. Comparing the pairwise niche overlap for individual bee species, no significant relationship was found between their overlap and forage specialization or conservation status. Network analysis of the bee-plant interactions placed honey bees aside from most other bee species, specifically the module containing the honey bee had fewer links to any other modules, while the remaining modules were more highly inter-connected. Despite the lack of predictive relationship from the pairwise niche overlap, data for individual species could be summarized. Consequently, we have identified a set of operational parameters that, based on a high foraging overlap (>70%) and unfavorable conservation status (Vulnerable+Endangered+Critically Endangered), can guide both conservation actions and land management decisions in proximity to known or suspected populations of these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus Rasmussen
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Yoko L. Dupont
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Kalø, Denmark
| | | | - Petr Bogusch
- Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Dave Goulson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Lina Herbertsson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kate Pereira Maia
- Institute of Biosciences, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Anders Nielsen
- Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway and Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jens M. Olesen
- Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Simon G. Potts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart P. M. Roberts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | | | - Per Kryger
- Department of Agroecology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Aarhus University, Slagelse, Denmark
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A Buzz for Sustainability and Conservation: The Growing Potential of Citizen Science Studies on Bees. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13020959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Expanding involvement of the public in citizen science projects can benefit both volunteers and professional scientists alike. Recently, citizen science has come into focus as an important data source for reporting and monitoring United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since bees play an essential role in the pollination ecosystem service, citizen science projects involving them have a high potential for attaining SDGs. By performing a systematic review of citizen science studies on bees, we assessed how these studies could contribute towards SDG reporting and monitoring, and also verified compliance with citizen science principles. Eighty eight studies published from 1992 to 2020 were collected. SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships) were the most outstanding, potentially contributing to targets related to biodiversity protection, restoration and sustainable use, capacity building and establishing multi stakeholder partnerships. SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) were also addressed. Studies were found to produce new knowledge, apply methods to improve data quality, and invest in open access publishing. Notably, volunteer participation was mainly restricted to data collection. Further challenges include extending these initiatives to developing countries, where only a few citizen science projects are underway.
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Austrian COLOSS Survey of Honey Bee Colony Winter Losses 2018/19 and Analysis of Hive Management Practices. DIVERSITY-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/d12030099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a citizen science survey on overwinter honey bee colony losses in Austria. A total of 1534 beekeepers with 33,651 colonies reported valid loss rates. The total winter loss rate for Austria was 15.2% (95% confidence interval: 14.4–16.1%). Young queens showed a positive effect on colony survival and queen-related losses. Observed queen problems during the season increased the probability of losing colonies to unsolvable queen problems. A notable number of bees with crippled wings during the foraging season resulted in high losses and could serve as an alarm signal for beekeepers. Migratory beekeepers and large operations had lower loss rates than smaller ones. Additionally, we investigated the impact of several hive management practices. Most of them had no significant effect on winter mortality, but purchasing wax from outside the own operation was associated with higher loss rates. Colonies that reported foraging on maize and late catch crop fields or collecting melezitose exhibited higher loss rates. The most common Varroa destructor control methods were a combination of long-term formic acid treatment in summer and oxalic acid trickling in winter. Biotechnical methods in summer had a favourable effect on colony survival.
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