Pollen DNA barcoding

[1] The skills required to do DNA barcoding are much more common[4] making the approach easier to adopt.

DNA barcode reference libraries are still being built and standardized target regions are being gradually adopted.

[10] Innovations in automated microscopy and imagining software offer one potential alternative in the identification of pollen.

[11] There have been several different regions of plant DNA that have been used as targets for genetic barcoding including rbcL,[2] matK,[12] trnH-psbA,[13] ITS1[14] and ITS2.

[21] Many lack features such as hairs allowing them to carry pollen while others avoid the pollen-laden anthers to steal nectar.

Some scientists argue that pollination effectiveness (PE), which is measured by studying the germination rates of seeds produced from flowers visited only once by a single animal, is the best way to determine which animals are important pollinators[22] though other scientists have used DNA barcoding to determine the genetic origin of pollen found on insects and have argued that this in conjunction with other traits is a good indication of pollination effectiveness.

[25] Another advantage of pollen DNA barcoding is that it can be used to determine the source of pollen found on museum specimens of insects,[26] and these records of insect-plant interactions can then be compared to modern-day interactions to see how pollination networks have changed over time[27] due to global warming, land use change, and other factors.

Due to the hardy structure of pollen which has evolved to survive being transported sometimes great distances while keeping the internal genetic information intact, the origin of pollen found mixed in ancient substrates can often be determined through DNA barcoding.

For food quality and safety concerns it is important to understand the plant providence of human-consumed bee products including honey, royal jelly, and pollen pellets.