Toward a Holobiont Urbanism : microbial sampling scalability through Apis mellifera

Abstract

We are in constant symbiosis with the 100 trillion microbes in our gut and the complex system of bacteria around us in our environment. Within the field of metagenomics, it's clear that understanding the built environment is necessary in order to learn more about ourselves as participants in this microbial ecosystem. By understanding the cities which we inhabit in from a bacterial point of view we can begin to discern the invisible qualities of cities. I want to understand the city as a biological organism, understand its bacterial ecosystem and visualize the invisible microbial world within the built environment. I propose a method of sampling biological material from cities by using honeybees (Apis mellifera) as a proxy to swab-based sampling methods.