D3149: The effect of plant biodiversity on the gut microbiomes of pollinator species

Pollinators are an essential component in natural systems and impact overall public health and nutrition. We are interested in how the pollinator gut microbiome is affected by location and landscape biodiversity in the Northern Great Plains. We predicted that greater diversity in gut microbiomes would occur in areas with higher plant diversity than areas with homogenous environments. We collected pollinators from Hymenoptera and Diptera in areas of Montana and North Dakota and extracted DNA from their guts to determine pollinator and endosymbiont composition. We used ingested and collected pollen from the specimens to determine plant diversity. These results will shed light onto the potential dangers of segregating great areas to a single species of crops or plants and how increased biodiversity in our landscape may be able to protect pollinators from the dangers of some bacterial diseases.