Dr Erin Hill1, Dr Liz Milla1, Dr Francisco Encinas-Viso1, Dr Ben Gooden1, Dr Mariana Hopper2, Dr Harry Eyck1, Mr Peter Jones1, Dr John Roberts1
1CSIRO, Black Mountain, Australia, 2CSIRO, Floreat, Australia
Biography:
Erin is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with CSIRO Health and Biosecurity. Her research focuses on developing environmental DNA (eDNA) protocols for genetic sampling from European honeybee (Apis mellifera) hives to detect biosecurity threats present in the environment.
Abstract:
Detecting weed incursions early is essential to prevent establishment but can be challenging at a broad scale and in complex environments. Collection of environmental DNA (eDNA) can assist in early invasion detections, with European honeybee (Apis mellifera) hives representing a promising source of accumulated plant DNA. However, there is currently inadequate guidance for managers around the distance limitations of positive hive detections, or an understanding of the lower density limits of a population that will result in a positive detection. To address these questions, we experimentally manipulated two plant species (Lavandula pedunculata and Hebe buxifolia) novel to the CSIRO Black Mountain (Canberra, ACT) site over several weeks at different densities and distances from two apiaries. eDNA samples were collected from 10 honeybee hives per visit and amplified using species-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) to identify positive novel plant detections. Samples were additionally amplified using a metabarcoding approach to identify all plant species in the area and gain further insights into density and distance limitations. qPCR results showed that the novel plants were not detected in any of the hives at distances exceeding 150 m, however, densities as low as a single plant could be reliably detected at this distance. Detection rates were variable between individual hives, raising further considerations of sample collection replication. These results show that eDNA collected from honeybee hives can be used to detect emerging plants at low densities and provides a baseline distance for managers to use to find weeds that may be targeted for control.