Meeting Abstract
P3.114 Thursday, Jan. 6 Existing Microsatellite Primers for Osmia rufa Amplify Homologous Microsatellite DNA in an Invasive Leafcutting Bee RICCI, P.R.*; HRANITZ, J.M.; BARTHELL, J.F.; FREEMAN, B.; LUI, L.; STEVISON, B.; GIANNONI, M.; REDD, J.; PRESKY, M; CAKMAK, I; PETANIDOU, T.; Bloomsburg University PA; Bloomsburg University PA; University of Central Oklahoma; University North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Oklahoma State University; University of Puerto Rico; University of Central Oklahoma; SUNY College at Oneonta; Uludag University, Turkey; University of the Aegean , Greece jhranitz@bloomu.edu
The Centaurea leafcutting bee (Megachile apicalis) is an invasive solitary bee and an established member of the cavity-nesting bee community in the western U.S. As fine-scale genetic markers, microsatellite loci used in comparative population genetic analyses may identify factors underlying this biological invasion from contemporary samples of this species. Our objective in this study was to develop microsatellites to study native and invasive populations of M. apicalis. Use of existing microsatellite primers from related species provides a much faster and cheaper alternative to traditional microsatellite isolation methods. We screened six microsatellite primer sets developed for another megachilid solitary bee, Osmia rufa, to amplify homologous microsatellite loci in M. apicalis. We amplified DNA of bees from native populations in Lesvos (Greece) and Uludag University (Republic of Turkey) by PCR, cloned amplicons, and sequenced the PCR products. Amplicon sequences were aligned with sequences in the NCBI database to test homology with O. rufa microsatellite loci. Microsatellite amplicons of M. apicalis were similar (S) to five of six primer locus sequences reported for O. rufa (S = 92.1%, 84-98%). Microsatellite locus sequences of M. apicalis from Lesvos and Uludag University populations differed by a few mutations (S = 98.1%; 97.0-100%). We conclude that five O. rufa microsatellite primer sets amplified homologous microsatellites in M. apicalis suitable for population genetic studies of this invasive species.
