loading page

Pollen DNA metabarcoding and related methods in global change ecology: prospects, challenges, and progress
  • +10
  • Karen Bell,
  • Katherine Turo,
  • Abigail Lowe,
  • Kevin Nota,
  • Alexander Keller,
  • Francisco Encinas-Viso,
  • Laura Parducci,
  • Rodney Richardson,
  • Richard Leggett,
  • Berry Brosi,
  • Kevin Burgess,
  • Yoshihisa Suyama,
  • Natasha de Vere
Karen Bell
University of Western Australia

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Katherine Turo
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey
Author Profile
Abigail Lowe
National Botanic Garden of Wales
Author Profile
Kevin Nota
Uppsala universitet Evolutionsbiologiskt centrum
Author Profile
Alexander Keller
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Author Profile
Francisco Encinas-Viso
CSIRO
Author Profile
Laura Parducci
Uppsala University
Author Profile
Rodney Richardson
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Author Profile
Richard Leggett
Earlham Institute
Author Profile
Berry Brosi
Emory University
Author Profile
Kevin Burgess
Author Profile
Yoshihisa Suyama
Tohoku University
Author Profile
Natasha de Vere
University of Copenhagen
Author Profile

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities are leading to changes in the environment at global scales, and understanding these changes requires rapid, high-throughput methods of assessment. Pollen DNA metabarcoding and related methods provide advantages in throughput and efficiency over traditional methods, such as microscopic identification of pollen and visual observation of plant-pollinator interactions. Pollen DNA metabarcoding is currently being applied to assessments of plant-pollinator interactions and their responses to land-use change such as increased agricultural intensity and urbanisation, surveillance of ecosystem change, and monitoring of spatiotemporal distribution of allergenic pollen. In combination with historical specimens, pollen DNA metabarcoding can compare contemporary and past ecosystems. Current technical challenges with pollen DNA metabarcoding include the need to understand the relationship between sequence read and species abundance, develop methods for determining confidence limits for detection and taxonomic classification, increase method standardisation, and improve of gaps in reference databases. Future research expanding the method to intraspecific identification, analysis of DNA in ancient pollen samples, and increased use of museum and herbarium specimens could open further avenues for research. Ongoing developments in sequencing technologies can accelerate progress towards these goals. Global ecological change is happening rapidly, and we anticipate that high-throughput methods such as pollen DNA metabarcoding are critical for assessing these changes and providing timely management recommendations to preserve biodiversity and the evolutionary and ecological processes that support it.
10 Jan 2022Submitted to Molecular Ecology
11 Jan 2022Submission Checks Completed
11 Jan 2022Assigned to Editor
29 Jan 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
21 Feb 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
15 Mar 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
21 Apr 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
21 Apr 20221st Revision Received
25 Apr 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
02 Jun 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
02 Jun 20222nd Revision Received
09 Jun 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
10 Jul 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
10 Jul 20223rd Revision Received
19 Jul 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
18 Aug 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Aug 20224th Revision Received
30 Aug 2022Editorial Decision: Accept