Plant Resources for Seven Australian Solitary Bee Species Identified via DNA Metabarcoding

Australian natural and agricultural landscapes provide the context for this dataset, which identifies 118 plant taxa used by seven cavity-nesting solitary bee species. The data was generated by R. S. Wilson via DNA metabarcoding of pollen, larvae, frass, and nest materials collected over two years. It records the plant taxa, including 48 tree species, that accounted for over 70% of the resources used by the bees.

Use Cases

• Identify key plant species for pollinator support schemes based on the 20 taxa accounting for over 70% of bee resources.
• Analyze the prevalence of introduced versus native plants in bee diets based on relative read abundance data.
• Compare plant material usage (e.g., trees, herbs, vines) across different bee species and nest types mentioned in the results.

Strengths

• Identifies 118 specific plant taxa used by the bees, providing a detailed resource list.
• Data covers seven bee species across 49 total nests, offering multi-species comparison.
• Quantifies that 20 plant taxa account for more than 70% of all resources used, highlighting key species.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is small (124.2 KB), indicating limited scope.

Provenance

Source

R. S. Wilson via figshare.

Collection Method

DNA metabarcoding of pollen bread, larvae, frass, and nest materials from trap nests/bee hotels.

Time Range

Data collected over a two-year study period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 12:26:07; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia (natural and agricultural landscapes).