Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive Pest
The Asian hornet, <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), is an invasive hornet that was accidentally introduced into Europe in 2004. It mainly preys on other invertebrates and arthropod species, and often targets honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies....
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/511 |
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| author | Kirsty Stainton Sam McGreig Chris Conyers Sally Ponting Lee Butler Paul Brown Eleanor P. Jones |
| author_facet | Kirsty Stainton Sam McGreig Chris Conyers Sally Ponting Lee Butler Paul Brown Eleanor P. Jones |
| author_sort | Kirsty Stainton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Asian hornet, <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), is an invasive hornet that was accidentally introduced into Europe in 2004. It mainly preys on other invertebrates and arthropod species, and often targets honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies. The introduction of these hornets may damage indigenous fauna and apiculture. Knowledge of <i>V. velutina</i> prey preference and the species composition of their diet is relatively limited. In this study, we assessed methodologies for the molecular identification of prey using dissected larvae from destroyed nests. Ten larval samples were taken from five nests in areas where the hornets had not yet established: two from the Channel Islands and three in the mainland UK. DNA was extracted from the gut contents and sequenced and analysed by metabarcoding with Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ Flongle and MinION devices. Numerous taxa were detected in each larval sample with the species composition varying by individual and by nest. Between 15 and 26 species were found per nest, with wasps (<i>Vespula</i> spp.), spiders, honey bees and blow flies being the most abundant taxa. These results demonstrate that metabarcoding larval gut contents can be used to study the Asian hornet diet and give a first snapshot of the prey items captured by <i>V. v. nigrithorax</i> in the UK. This method could be used for future large-scale testing of the gut contents of hornet nests, in order to provide a greater insight into the foraging behaviour of this predator across Europe and elsewhere. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:54:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dde85def53ec493f8da53c188d71512b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:54:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-dde85def53ec493f8da53c188d71512b2023-11-16T16:01:53ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-02-0113351110.3390/ani13030511Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive PestKirsty Stainton0Sam McGreig1Chris Conyers2Sally Ponting3Lee Butler4Paul Brown5Eleanor P. Jones6Fera Science, The National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UKFera Science, The National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UKFera Science, The National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UKFera Science, The National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UKFera Science, The National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UKFera Science, The National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UKFera Science, The National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, Sand Hutton, York YO41 1LZ, UKThe Asian hornet, <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), is an invasive hornet that was accidentally introduced into Europe in 2004. It mainly preys on other invertebrates and arthropod species, and often targets honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) colonies. The introduction of these hornets may damage indigenous fauna and apiculture. Knowledge of <i>V. velutina</i> prey preference and the species composition of their diet is relatively limited. In this study, we assessed methodologies for the molecular identification of prey using dissected larvae from destroyed nests. Ten larval samples were taken from five nests in areas where the hornets had not yet established: two from the Channel Islands and three in the mainland UK. DNA was extracted from the gut contents and sequenced and analysed by metabarcoding with Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ Flongle and MinION devices. Numerous taxa were detected in each larval sample with the species composition varying by individual and by nest. Between 15 and 26 species were found per nest, with wasps (<i>Vespula</i> spp.), spiders, honey bees and blow flies being the most abundant taxa. These results demonstrate that metabarcoding larval gut contents can be used to study the Asian hornet diet and give a first snapshot of the prey items captured by <i>V. v. nigrithorax</i> in the UK. This method could be used for future large-scale testing of the gut contents of hornet nests, in order to provide a greater insight into the foraging behaviour of this predator across Europe and elsewhere.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/511<i>Apis mellifera</i>apiculture<i>Vespa velutina</i>invasive speciesdiet metabarcoding |
| spellingShingle | Kirsty Stainton Sam McGreig Chris Conyers Sally Ponting Lee Butler Paul Brown Eleanor P. Jones Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive Pest Animals <i>Apis mellifera</i> apiculture <i>Vespa velutina</i> invasive species diet metabarcoding |
| title | Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive Pest |
| title_full | Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive Pest |
| title_fullStr | Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive Pest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive Pest |
| title_short | Molecular Identification of Asian Hornet <i>Vespa velutina nigrithorax</i> Prey from Larval Gut Contents: A Promising Method to Study the Diet of an Invasive Pest |
| title_sort | molecular identification of asian hornet i vespa velutina nigrithorax i prey from larval gut contents a promising method to study the diet of an invasive pest |
| topic | <i>Apis mellifera</i> apiculture <i>Vespa velutina</i> invasive species diet metabarcoding |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/511 |
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