Investigator’s Annual Reports (IAR’s) for Crater Lake National Park

REVSYS: A Holistic Approach to a Holarctic Group: Subgeneric Relationships Within the Genus Andrena Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) with a Revision of the Subgenus Callandrena

 

Report Number: 29629

Permit Number: CRLA-2004-SCI-0006

Current Status: Checked in

Date Received: Jan 06, 2005

Reporting Year: 2004

Principal Investigator: Dr Leah Larkin, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Park-assigned Study Id. # CRLA-04019

Permit Expiration Date: Mar 31, 2007

Permit Start Date: Jun 08, 2004

Study Starting Date: Jun 08, 2004

Study Ending Date: Mar 31, 2007

Study Status: Continuing

Activity Type: Research

Subject/Discipline: Invertebrates (Insects, Other)

Objectives: This is an NSF-funded project by Dr. Leah L. Larkin of the University of New Mexico to study the bee genus Andrena. This genus is extremely large, with over 1400 species that are native to areas throughout the northern hemisphere and with over 550 species in North America. The genus has been divided into between 95 and 98 groups (subgenera), but recent analyses of DNA data indicate that these groupings are not accurate; some species that look morphologically similar are not actually closely related to one another. This project will expand on these DNA findings by including species from throughout the distribution of Andrena. The data will be analyzed using techniques that identify the evolutionary relationships (phylogeny) of the species. The results will allow Dr. Larkin and her international collaborators to regroup the species into subgenera that accurately reflect the relationships of the species. Another aspect of the study will focus on a single subgenus that is found exclusively in North America. The subgenus Callandrena is an example of a group of species that look similar but are not closely related. The appropriate groups of related species will be identified and the 40 or more species in Mexico that are new to science will be named and described. In addition, a ?key?, which aids in the identification of species, will be created in an electronic format so that biologists and the curious can access it via the internet and use it to identify species.

This project will benefit the scientific community in a number of ways. It will compare new computational methods for analyzing large datasets and result in a global phylogeny of one of the largest genera of bees. The electronic keys will allow easy identification of species from North America. The phylogeny will aid in the future study of interesting ecological interactions of the bees, including their pollen host-plant preferences, seasons of emergence, parasite relationships, and the historical aspects of their current geographic distributions. Because bees are the most important insect pollinators of plants, the results may potentially benefit both agriculture and ecological conservation. Undergraduate students will participate and be trained in a number of skills, including field collecting techniques; identifying bees; describing new species; extracting and sequencing DNA; and analyzing both DNA and morphological data. University of New Mexico is designated a Minority-Serving Institution, and undergraduate involvement will likely increase minority participation in science.

Findings and Status:  No activity was conducted this report year

For this study, were one or more specimens collected and removed from the park but not destroyed during analyses? No

Funding provided this reporting year by NPS: 0

Funding provided this reporting year by other sources: 85033

Full name of college or university:  n/a

Annual funding provided by NPS to university or college this reporting year: 0

 

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