Distinct subspecies or phenotypic plasticity? Genetic and morphological differentiation of mountain honey bees in East Africa

Gruber, Karl; Schöning, Caspar; Otte, Marianne; Kinuthia, Wanja; Hasselmann, Martin

doi:10.1002/ece3.711

Cited by 36 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…The present study demonstrated that, due to intense gene flow among the studied colonies, the high variability in wing size and the pronounced differences between apiaries and ecoregions are the result of phenotypic plasticity rather than genetic divergence among populations. This confirms the results reported by Gruber et al (2013). In the present study, therefore, we were able to characterize the differences between honey bee populations using multivariate analysis in combination with wing-venation morphometric data.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Bee’s morphometrics and behavior in response to seasonal effects from ecoregions

Sousa¹,

Araujo²,

Gramacho³

et al. 2016

Genet. Mol. Res.

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ABSTRACT. In the present study, we used morphological and behavioral analyses to assess the effects of seasonality and morphoclimatic patterns on the morphology, behavior, and distribution of 71 colonies of Africanized honey bees in 3 distinct ecoregions (Zona da Mata, Agreste, and Sertão) within the State of Sergipe, north-eastern Brazil. We found a high rate of gene flow among the studied colonies. However, there were pronounced morphological differences among localities and ecoregions, and body shape (r = 0.06239; P = 0.05) and size (P < 0.001) varied with altitude. Regional groups were separated by phenotypic plasticity, rather than genetic divergence. We also found a significant difference in the hygienic behavior of these populations between the dry and rainy seasons (P = 0.022; α = 0.05) and between ecoregions (P = 0.001; α = 0.05). The main modulator of hygienic behavior was the influence of temperature (ρ = 0.065; P = 0.471; α = 0.05) and altitude (ρ = -0.294; P = 0.001; α = 0.05) on rainfall (ρ = 0.274; P = 0.002; α = 0.05). This supports the hypothesis that environmental factors influence the expression of hygienic behavior trait. The influence of environmental factors on the morphology, behavior, and distribution of Africanized honey bees, together with the identified polyphenisms, indicate high genetic variability within these populations that can be exploited in future bee handling and breeding programs.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Bee’s morphometrics and behavior in response to seasonal effects from ecoregions

Sousa¹,

Araujo²,

Gramacho³

et al. 2016

Genet. Mol. Res.

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“…Genetic diversity plays an important role in the adaptation capabilities of species and their susceptibility to environmental changes (Raymond et al ., ). Measurements of the relationship between genetic variation and adaptive traits have already been conducted in a number of species, which showed that species with high level of genetic diversity and gene flow have higher phenotypic plasticity (Reed & Frankham, ; Ghalambor et al ., ; Gruber et al ., ). For example, LU8 with lower genetic variation had a weaker adaptability than other populations in the Loess Plateau, and other populations with higher genetic variation had a stronger adaptability to establish in a new environment (Yan et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Genetic variation and bidirectional gene flow in the riparian plant Miscanthus lutarioriparius, across its endemic range: implications for adaptive potential

et al. 2015

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Miscanthus lutarioriparius is an endemic species that grows along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and is a valuable source of germplasm for the development of second-generation energy crops. The plant that propagates via seeds, stem nodes, and rhizomes shows high phenotypic variation and strong local adaptation. Here, we examined the magnitude and spatial distribution of genetic variation in M. lutarioriparius across its entire distributional range and tested underlying factors that shaped its genetic variation. Population genetic analyses were conducted on 644 individuals from 25 populations using 16 microsatellite markers. M. lutarioriparius exhibited a high level of genetic variation (H E = 0.682-0.786; A r = 4.74-8.06) and a low differentiation (F ST = 0.063; D est = 0.153). Of the total genetic variation, 10% was attributed to the differences among populations (df = 24, P < 0.0001), whereas 90% was attributed to the differences among individuals (df = 619, P ≤ 0.0001). Genetic diversity did not differ significantly across longitudes and did not increase in the populations growing downstream of the Yangtze River. However, significant associations were found between genetic differentiation and spatial distance. Six genetic discontinuities were identified, which mostly distributed among downstream populations. We conclude that anthropogenic factors and landscape features both contributed to shaping the pattern of gene flow in M. lutarioriparius, including long-distance bidirectional dispersal. Our results explain the genetic basis of the high degree of adaptability in M. lutarioriparius and identify potential sources of new germplasm for the domestication of this potential second-generation energy crop.

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“…2011; Gruber et al 2013). In recent years, the use of single-nucleotiode polymorphisms has also become important (Whitfield et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wing geometric morphometrics and microsatellite analysis provide similar discrimination of honey bee subspecies

Oleksa¹,

Tofilski²

2014

Apidologie

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-Identification of honey bee (Apis mellifera) subspecies is important for their protection. It is also used by queen breeders to maintain some breeding lines. In this study, we compared three methods of subspecies identification based on the following: 17 microsatellite loci, COI-COII mitotypes and geometric morphometrics of forewing venation. The methods were used to classify colonies and workers from a mixed population of A. m. mellifera and A. m. carnica. There was highly significant correlation between results obtained using the three methods. More than three quarters of colonies were classified to the same subspecies by all three methods. The agreement was highest between microsatellites and morphometrics. More than 90 % of colonies were classified to the same subspecies by the two methods. There was also relatively high agreement (75 %) between microsatellites and morphometrics when workers were classified as pure subspecies or hybrids. In particular, one pure subspecies was never misclassified as other pure subspecies. The results presented here show that morphometrics can be used for detection of hybrids between A. m. mellifera and A. m. carnica. geometric morphometrics / subspecies discrimination / microsatellites / mtDNA / Bayesian clustering / Apis mellifera / phenotype-genotype correlation

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Distinct subspecies or phenotypic plasticity? Genetic and morphological differentiation of mountain honey bees in East Africa

Cited by 36 publications

References 73 publications

Bee’s morphometrics and behavior in response to seasonal effects from ecoregions

Bee’s morphometrics and behavior in response to seasonal effects from ecoregions

Genetic variation and bidirectional gene flow in the riparian plant Miscanthus lutarioriparius, across its endemic range: implications for adaptive potential

Wing geometric morphometrics and microsatellite analysis provide similar discrimination of honey bee subspecies

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