Genetic variability in captive populations of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula

Abstract

Low genetic variability has normally been considered a consequence of animal husbandry and a major contributing factor to declining bee populations. Here, we performed a molecular analysis of captive and wild populations of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula, one of the most commonly kept species across South America. Microsatellite analyses showed similar genetic variability between wild and captive populations However, captive populations showed lower mitochondrial genetic variability. Male-mediated gene flow, transport and division of nests are suggested as the most probable explanations for the observed patterns of genetic structure. We conclude that increasing the number of colonies kept through nest divisions does not negatively affect nuclear genetic variability, which seems to be maintained by small-scale male dispersal and human-mediated nest transport. However, the transport of nests from distant localities should be practiced with caution given the high genetic differentiation observed between samples from western and eastern areas. The high genetic structure verified is the result of a long-term evolutionary process, and bees from distant localities may represent unique evolutionary lineages.

Beekeeping practices and geographic distance, not land use, drive gene flow across tropical bees

“…; Santiago et al . ). Our results reveal the influence of management on stingless bee genetic differentiation across multiple species and biomes and suggest that the artificial transportation of colonies by beekeepers is enhancing gene flow.…”

“…), a comparison between managed and wild colonies of Tetragonisca angustula revealed similar nuclear genetic diversity, albeit lower mitochondrial genetic diversity in managed colonies (Santiago et al . ). Yet, the general effect of management on patterns of stingless bee genetic differentiation has never been assessed across species and biomes.…”

Accessing the genetic content of Xylocopa frontalis bees (Apidae, Xylocopini) for sustainable management in pollination services of passion fruit

“…The program BOTTLENECK 1.2.02 (Piry et al 1999) was used to check if any recent bottleneck event could have occurred in the area. Parameters for the analysis were set according to Santiago et al (2016). We used the two-phase model (TPM) of mutation with a proportion of stepwise mutation model of 95% with 10,000 iterations.…”

Analysis of the population structure of Tetragonisca (hymenoptera, meliponini) by microsatellite markers and network interactions

“…The results demonstrate that the evaluated Tetragonisca populations have reduced genetic variability, suggesting that there is a homogeneity of the evaluated individuals. This can occur due to the short distance between the sampling sites, as well as the populations of this region being on the same evolutionary line (Santiago et al, 2016). Also, this genetic variability can occur due to the species being easily managed and adapted to the urban environment and the meliponicultores exchange colonies, divisions and capture via bait, causing a genetic exchange to occur, resulting in a homogenization of these populations (Francisco et al, 2017).…”