{"id":517,"date":"2016-06-21T19:01:33","date_gmt":"2016-06-21T19:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science-new\/2016\/06\/21\/how-native-american-agriculture-spread-bees-in-pre-columbian-north-america\/"},"modified":"2021-04-21T13:29:53","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T17:29:53","slug":"how-native-american-agriculture-spread-bees-in-pre-columbian-north-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/news\/how-native-american-agriculture-spread-bees-in-pre-columbian-north-america\/","title":{"rendered":"How Native American Agriculture Spread Bees in Pre-Columbian North America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using genetic markers, researchers have for the first time shown how cultivating a specific crop led to the expansion of a pollinator species. In this case, the researchers found that the spread of a bee species in pre-Columbian Central and North America was tied to the spread of Native American agriculture.<\/p>\n

\"Squash<\/a>
Squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa). Photo credit: Elsa Youngsteadt. Click to enlarge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe wanted to understand what happens when the range of a bee expands,\u201d says Margarita L\u00f3pez-Uribe, a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University and lead author of a paper describing the work. \u201cWhat does that mean for its genetic variability? And if the genetic variability declines, does that harm the viability of the species?\u201d<\/p>\n

To explore these questions, researchers looked at the squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa<\/em>), which is indigenous to what is now central Mexico and the southwestern United States. Squash bees are specialists, collecting pollen solely from the flowers of plants in the genus Cucurbita<\/em>, such as squash, zucchini and pumpkins.<\/p>\n

Before contact with Europeans, Native American peoples had begun cultivating Cucurbita<\/em> crops. Over time, these agricultural practices spread to the north and east.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to know whether P. pruinosa<\/em> spread along with those crops,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says.<\/p>\n

To find out, researchers looked at DNA from squash bee individuals, collected from throughout the species\u2019 range. P. pruinosa<\/em> can now be found from southern Mexico to California and Idaho in the west, and from Georgia in the southeast to Quebec in the north.<\/p>\n

By assessing genetic markers in each bee\u2019s DNA, the researchers could identify genetic signatures associated with when and where the species expanded.<\/p>\n

For example, the researchers found that P. pruinosa<\/em> first moved from central Mexico into what is now the midwestern United States approximately 5,000 years ago, before expanding to the East Coast some time later.<\/p>\n

The researchers also found that genetic diversity decreased depending how \u201cnew\u201d the species was to a given territory. For example, genetic diversity of squash bees in Mexico was greater than the diversity in the Midwest; and diversity in the Midwest was greater than that of populations on the East Coast.<\/p>\n

Given the declining genetic variability, researchers expected to see adverse effects in the \u201cnewer\u201d populations of P. pruinosa<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were specifically expecting to see an increased rate of sterile males in populations with less genetic variability, and we didn\u2019t find that,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says. \u201cBut we did find genetic \u2018bottlenecks\u2019 in all of the populations \u2013 even in Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause P. pruinosa<\/em> makes its nests in the ground near squash plants, we think modern farming practices \u2013 such as mechanically tilling the soil \u2013 is causing the species to die out in local areas,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says. \u201cAnd we think that is causing these more recent genetic bottlenecks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping to work on this question in the near future, because it\u2019s important to helping understand the relevant bee\u2019s population dynamics in modern agricultural systems, as well as what it may mean for Cucurbita<\/em> crops,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says.<\/p>\n

The paper, \u201cCrop domestication facilitated rapid geographical expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa<\/em><\/a>,\u201d is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B<\/em>. The paper was co-authored by James Cane of USDA-ARS in Logan, Utah; Robert Minckley of the University of Rochester; and Bryan N. Danforth of Cornell University. The paper was done with support from the National Science Foundation under grants DEB-0814544 and DEB-0742998.<\/p>\n

-shipman-<\/p>\n

Note to Editors:<\/strong> The study abstract follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrop domestication facilitated rapid geographical expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa<\/em>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Authors<\/em>: Margarita M. L\u00f3pez-Uribe, North Carolina State University; James H. Cane, Utah State University; Robert L. Minckley, University of Rochester; and Bryan N. Danforth, Cornell University<\/p>\n

Published<\/em>: June 22, Proceedings of the Royal Society B<\/em><\/p>\n

DOI<\/em>: 10.1098\/rspb.2016.0443<\/p>\n

Abstract:<\/strong> Squash was first domesticated in Mexico and is now found throughout North America (NA) along with Peponapis pruinosa<\/em>, a pollen specialist bee species of the squash genus Cucurbita<\/em>. The origin and spread of squash cultivation is well-studied archeologically and phylogenetically; however, no study has documented how cultivation of this or any other crop has influenced species in mutualistic interactions. We used molecular markers to reconstruct the demographic range expansion and colonization routes of P. pruinosa<\/em> from its native range into temperate NA. Populations east of the Rocky Mountains expanded from the wild host plant\u2019s range in Mexico and were established by a series of founder events. Eastern North America was most likely colonized from squash bee populations in the present-day continental Midwest USA and not from routes that followed the Gulf and Atlantic coasts from Mexico. Populations of P. pruinosa<\/em> west of the Rockies spread north from the warm deserts much more recently, showing two genetically differentiated populations with no admixture: one in California and the other one in eastern Great Basin. These bees have repeatedly endured severe bottlenecks as they colonized NA, following human spread of their Cucurbita<\/em> pollen hosts during the Holocene.<\/p>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in NC State News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"Using genetic markers, researchers have for the first time shown how cultivating a specific crop led to the expansion of a pollinator species. In this case, the researchers found that the spread of a bee species in pre-Columbian Central and North America was tied to the spread of Native American agriculture.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_369911\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"400\"]\"Squash<\/a> Squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa). Photo credit: Elsa Youngsteadt. Click to enlarge.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cWe wanted to understand what happens when the range of a bee expands,\u201d says Margarita L\u00f3pez-Uribe, a postdoctoral researcher at North Carolina State University and lead author of a paper describing the work. \u201cWhat does that mean for its genetic variability? And if the genetic variability declines, does that harm the viability of the species?\u201d\r\n\r\nTo explore these questions, researchers looked at the squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa<\/em>), which is indigenous to what is now central Mexico and the southwestern United States. Squash bees are specialists, collecting pollen solely from the flowers of plants in the genus Cucurbita<\/em>, such as squash, zucchini and pumpkins.\r\n\r\nBefore contact with Europeans, Native American peoples had begun cultivating Cucurbita<\/em> crops. Over time, these agricultural practices spread to the north and east.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe wanted to know whether P. pruinosa<\/em> spread along with those crops,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says.\r\n\r\nTo find out, researchers looked at DNA from squash bee individuals, collected from throughout the species\u2019 range. P. pruinosa<\/em> can now be found from southern Mexico to California and Idaho in the west, and from Georgia in the southeast to Quebec in the north.\r\n\r\nBy assessing genetic markers in each bee\u2019s DNA, the researchers could identify genetic signatures associated with when and where the species expanded.\r\n\r\nFor example, the researchers found that P. pruinosa<\/em> first moved from central Mexico into what is now the midwestern United States approximately 5,000 years ago, before expanding to the East Coast some time later.\r\n\r\nThe researchers also found that genetic diversity decreased depending how \u201cnew\u201d the species was to a given territory. For example, genetic diversity of squash bees in Mexico was greater than the diversity in the Midwest; and diversity in the Midwest was greater than that of populations on the East Coast.\r\n\r\nGiven the declining genetic variability, researchers expected to see adverse effects in the \u201cnewer\u201d populations of P. pruinosa<\/em>.\r\n\r\nThey didn\u2019t.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe were specifically expecting to see an increased rate of sterile males in populations with less genetic variability, and we didn\u2019t find that,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says. \u201cBut we did find genetic \u2018bottlenecks\u2019 in all of the populations \u2013 even in Mexico.\r\n\r\n\u201cBecause P. pruinosa<\/em> makes its nests in the ground near squash plants, we think modern farming practices \u2013 such as mechanically tilling the soil \u2013 is causing the species to die out in local areas,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says. \u201cAnd we think that is causing these more recent genetic bottlenecks.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m hoping to work on this question in the near future, because it\u2019s important to helping understand the relevant bee\u2019s population dynamics in modern agricultural systems, as well as what it may mean for Cucurbita<\/em> crops,\u201d L\u00f3pez-Uribe says.\r\n\r\nThe paper, \u201cCrop domestication facilitated rapid geographical expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa<\/em><\/a>,\u201d is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B<\/em>. The paper was co-authored by James Cane of USDA-ARS in Logan, Utah; Robert Minckley of the University of Rochester; and Bryan N. Danforth of Cornell University. The paper was done with support from the National Science Foundation under grants DEB-0814544 and DEB-0742998.\r\n

-shipman-<\/p>\r\nNote to Editors:<\/strong> The study abstract follows.\r\n\r\n\u201cCrop domestication facilitated rapid geographical expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa<\/em>\u201d<\/strong>\r\n\r\nAuthors<\/em>: Margarita M. L\u00f3pez-Uribe, North Carolina State University; James H. Cane, Utah State University; Robert L. Minckley, University of Rochester; and Bryan N. Danforth, Cornell University\r\n\r\nPublished<\/em>: June 22, Proceedings of the Royal Society B<\/em>\r\n\r\nDOI<\/em>: 10.1098\/rspb.2016.0443\r\n\r\nAbstract:<\/strong> Squash was first domesticated in Mexico and is now found throughout North America (NA) along with Peponapis pruinosa<\/em>, a pollen specialist bee species of the squash genus Cucurbita<\/em>. The origin and spread of squash cultivation is well-studied archeologically and phylogenetically; however, no study has documented how cultivation of this or any other crop has influenced species in mutualistic interactions. We used molecular markers to reconstruct the demographic range expansion and colonization routes of P. pruinosa<\/em> from its native range into temperate NA. Populations east of the Rocky Mountains expanded from the wild host plant\u2019s range in Mexico and were established by a series of founder events. Eastern North America was most likely colonized from squash bee populations in the present-day continental Midwest USA and not from routes that followed the Gulf and Atlantic coasts from Mexico. Populations of P. pruinosa<\/em> west of the Rockies spread north from the warm deserts much more recently, showing two genetically differentiated populations with no admixture: one in California and the other one in eastern Great Basin. These bees have repeatedly endured severe bottlenecks as they colonized NA, following human spread of their Cucurbita<\/em> pollen hosts during the Holocene."},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Using genetic markers, researchers have for the first time shown how cultivating a specific crop led to the expansion of a pollinator species. In this case, the researchers found that the spread of a bee species in pre-Columbian Central and North America was tied to the spread of squash agriculture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nc-state"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15176,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517\/revisions\/15176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/horticultural-science\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}