Reference genome for the Mojave poppy bee (Perdita meconis), a specialist pollinator of conservation concern

Authors: Schweizer, Rena; Meidt, Colleen; BENAVIDES, LIGIA - Orise Fellow; WILSON, JOSEPH - Utah State University; Griswold, Terry; Sim, Sheina; Geib, Scott; Branstetter, Michael

Submitted to: Journal of Heredity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/6/2023
Publication Date: 12/13/2023
Citation: Schweizer, R.M., Meidt, C.G., Benavides, L., Wilson, J.S., Griswold, T.L., Sim, S.B., Geib, S.M., Branstetter, M.G. 2023. Reference genome for the Mojave poppy bee (Perdita meconis), a specialist pollinator of conservation concern. Journal of Heredity. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esad076.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esad076

Interpretive Summary: Reference genomes for species of conservation concern enable scientists to study population parameters, genetic health, and the genetic basis of natural history traits. Many important pollinator species are in decline; however, genetic resources to study wild, non-model species are lacking. One such species is the Mojave poppy bee, Perdita meconis (Hymenoptera: Anthophila: Andrenidae), a species of conservation concern that is restricted to the eastern Mojave Desert of North America. It is a specialist pollinator of two poppy genera, Arctomecon and Argemone (Papaveraceae), and is being considered for listing under the US Endangered Species Act along with one of its pollinator hosts, the Las Vegas bear poppy (Arctomecon californica). To provide a genomic resource that will aid conservation efforts and future research of this bee, USDA researchers in Logan, UT and collaborators sequenced a reference genome of Perdita meconis using latest sequencing methods. The study presents a high-quality, near chromosome-level genome of the Mojave poppy bee, representing one of only a few genomes from the large bee family Andrenidae and one of only a few genomes for pollinator specialists. The study highlights both the potential of this genome as a resource for future research, and how high-quality genomes generated from small, non-ideal (in terms of preservation) specimens could facilitate biodiversity genomics more broadly.

Technical Abstract: The Mojave poppy bee, Perdita meconis (Hymenoptera: Anthophila: Andrenidae), is a species of conservation concern that is restricted to the eastern Mojave Desert of North America. It is a specialist pollinator of two poppy gener Arctomecon and Argemone (Papaveraceae), and is being considered for listing under the US Endangered Species Act along with one of its pollinator hosts, the Las Vegas bear poppy (Arctomecon californica). Here, we present a near chromosome-level genome of the Mojave poppy bee to provide a genomic resource that will aid conservation efforts and future research. We isolated DNA from a single, small (<7 mm), male specimen collected using non-ideal preservation methods then perform whole-genome sequencing using PacBio HiFi technology. After quality and contaminant filtering, the final draft genome assembly is 327 Mb, with an N50 length of 17.5 Mb. Annotated repetitive elements compose 37.3% of the genome, although a large proportion (24.87%) of those are unclassified repeats. Additionally, we annotated18,245 protein-coding genes and 19,433 transcripts. This genome represents one of only a few genomes from the large bee family Andrenidae and one of only a few genomes for pollinator specialists. We highlight both the potential of this genome as a resource for future research, and how high-quality genomes generated from small, non-ideal (in terms of preservation) specimens could facilitate biodiversity genomics.