Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D., Professor
Project: Communities within communities: Investigating the biodiversity of prairie pollinators and their endosymbionts
Mentor: Rebecca Simmons, Ph.D., Professor
Location: Department of Biology, Starcher Hall
Description: North Dakota is the largest producer of honey in the US; both native and commercial pollinator species are central to the success of agriculture in the region. Despite their importance, pollinators are experiencing declining numbers both in the region and nationwide. These declines caused by many factors including, habitat destruction, pesticide/herbicide use, and diseases; loss of these species are a threat to economic growth in the region and national food security. While there are efforts to document the decline in pollinator species in the region, these surveys do not address the hidden diversity within pollinators themselves-microbes found in pollinator digestive tracts. In healthy individuals, these microorganisms synthesize vitamins, aid in honey production and provide other vital functions. To document and compare microsymbionts between pollinator species, REU students will collect and identify pollinators. Students will remove pollinator digestive systems which will be used to extract, amplify and sequence both pollinator and microsymbiont DNA. Students will then analyze resulting Illumina sequence data to identify species-specific and shared symbionts.
