Notes on Apis dorsata Food Source Using Metabarcoding Techniques in Cameron Highland

Apis dorsata or lebah tualang has been recognized as a pollinator agent in Malaysia. This species travels from northern to southern part of Malaysia yearly and pollinating the trees along their migrating way. Study of A. dorsata has been less concern due to several limitations such as their nesting habitat. Thus, this research objective was to assess their food source using metabarcoding technique to understand their foraging behavior. Three individual has been sampled in Cameron Highland and extracted to assess plant DNA inside their body. Total of 56901 plants DNA from 18 family and 32 species has been identified during this project. Fabaceae has been identified the most abundance species taken by Apis dorsata followed by Zingerberacea, Poaceae, Myrtaceae and Rubiaceae and Acacia koa was the most plant DNA taken by A. dorsata. Thus, this result can be a baseline data for A. dorsata research in Malaysia. In addition this data also can used to regulate the A. dorsata management plan from decline.