Population Genetics

Population genetics of native bees in the eastern United States

Margarita Lopez-Uribe (mml82[at]cornell.edu), in collaboration with Robert Minckley (rminckle[at]mail.rochester.edu; University of Rochester) and Steve Bogdanowicz (smb31[at]cornell.edu; Cornell University), is examining the patterns population genetic structure of native North American bees. Her studies focus on agriculturally important native bees that are potentially manageable for crop pollination. Using a combination of mitochondrial genes and nuclear markers (microsatellites), she is examining patterns of genetic diversity, population structure and inbreeding in agriculturally important native bee species. We hope to identify what factors may cause high levels of inbreeding in native bees and whether some populations of these native bee species are at risk of experiencing inbreeding depression. She is also collaborating with Robert Minckley (University of Rochester) and Jim Cane (Jim.Cane[at]ars.usda.gov; USDA Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Logan, Utah) to examine the history of Peponapis pruinosa population range expansion across North America.

 

 

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