Karyotypic description of the stingless bee Melipona quinquefasciata Lepeletier, 1836 (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) with emphasis on the presence of B chromosomes

Silva, Alexandra Avelar; Rocha, Marla Piumbini; Pompolo, Silvia das Graças; Campos, Lúcio Antônio de Oliveira; Tavares, Mara Garcia

doi:10.3897/compcytogen.v12i4.29165

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Melipona seminigra Friese, 1903 ( n = 11) is one exception whose chromosome number could have arisen by fission from an ancestor with n = 9 [45]. Yet, Melipona quinquefasciata (Lepeletier, 1836) and Melipona rufiventris (Lepeletier, 1836) sometimes demonstrate a karyotype with more than 9 chromosomes due to the presence of chromosomes B, which are not part of complement A [46–47]. B chromosomes are expendable elements found together with the chromosome set (complement A) in some specimens belonging to different taxa [48–49].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of haploid chromosome numbers in Meliponini

et al. 2019

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It is thought that two evolutionary mechanisms gave rise to chromosomal variation in bees: the first one points to polyploidy as the main cause of chromosomal evolution, while the second, Minimum Interaction Theory (MIT), is more frequently used to explain chromosomal changes in Meliponini and suggests that centric fission is responsible for variations in karyotype. However, differences in chromosome number between Meliponini and its sister taxa and in the karyotype patterns of the Melipona genus cannot be explained by MIT, suggesting that other events were involved in chromosomal evolution. Thus, we assembled cytogenetical and molecular information to reconstruct an ancestral chromosome number for Meliponini and its sister group, Bombini, and propose a hypothesis to explain the evolutionary pathways underpinning chromosomal changes in Meliponini. We hypothesize that the common ancestor shared by the Meliponini and Bombini tribes possessed a chromosome number of n = 18. The karyotype with n = 17 chromosomes was maintained in Meliponini, and variations of haploid numbers possibly originated through additional Robertsonian fissions and fusions. Thus, the low chromosome number would not be an ancestral condition, as predicted by MIT. We then conclude that Robertsonian fission and fusions are unlikely to be the cause of chromosomal rearrangements that originated the current karyotypes in Meliponini.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of haploid chromosome numbers in Meliponini

et al. 2019

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“…Bee diversity is estimated at up to 18,000-20,000 species (Hymenoptera: Apidae) [Michener, 2007], and around 200 of them have been examined cytogenetically (reviewed in Cunha et al [2021]). These data show a chromosome number variation from 2n = 6 to 2n = 56, and B chromosomes have been reported in only three genera, all belonging to the Meliponini tribe: Melipona, Partamona, and Tetragonisca [Lopes et al, 2008;Marthe et al, 2010;Barth et al, 2011;Martins et al, 2013Martins et al, , 2014Tosta et al, 2014;Silva et al, 2018;Novaes et al, 2021].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Supernumerary B Chromosomes of Tetragonisca fiebrigi Share Repeat Content with Standard Chromosome Set of both T. fiebrigi and Tetragonisca angustula (Apidae: Meliponini)

Souza Cunha,

Moura Novaes,

Amorim Pereira

et al. 2023

Cytogenet Genome Res

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The stingless bees Tetragonisca angustula and T. fiebrigi are widely distributed in Brazil, and both are commonly known as “jataí”. Our goal was to investigate the possible origin of the B chromosomes in T. fiebrigi, a cytotaxonomic trait that differentiates T. fiebrigi from T. angustula. We analyzed diploid chromosome number, B chromosome incidence, patterns of constitutive heterochromatin, and in situ localization of different repetitive DNA probes in T. angustula and T. fiebrigi. Both species displayed 2n = 34, with similar karyotype structure. One to three B chromosomes were observed in T. fiebrigi only. Constitutive heterochromatin was distributed on one arm of all chromosomes in both species and T. fiebrigi B chromosomes were mainly heterochromatic with one euchromatic extremity. The (GA)15 and (CAA)10 microsatellite probes marked the euchromatic arms of all chromosomes in both species, without marking the B chromosomes. The 18S rDNA probe marked 10 chromosomes in T. angustula and six A chromosomes in T. fiebrigi, with an additional marking on 1B in individuals with 3B. The Tan-Bsp68I repetitive DNA probe marked the heterochromatic portion of all T. fiebrigi A and B chromosomes. This probe also marked the heterochromatic portion of all T. angustula chromosomes, therefore, both alternative hypotheses to the B chromosome origin are possible: (i) from the A chromosome complement of T. fiebrigi (intraspecific origin); or (ii) as by-products of genome reshuffling following the hybridization between T. fiebrigi and T. angustula (interspecific origin).

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“…1) but a high mean 1C value (Tavares et al ., 2010). As up to four supernumerary chromosomes have been found in different populations of this species (Silva et al ., 2018), this discrepancy can be attributed to the presence of these heterochromatic extra chromosomes, which should be taken into account in genome size estimation studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Robertsonian rearrangements in Neotropical Meliponini karyotype evolution (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)

Cunha

Soares

Clarindo

et al. 2021

Insect Molecular Biology

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Genome changes, evidenced through karyotype or nuclear genome size data, can result in reproductive isolation, diversification and speciation. The aim of this study was to understand how changes in the karyotype such as chromosome number and nuclear genome size accompanied the evolution of neotropical stingless bees, and to discuss these data in a phylogenetic context focusing on the karyotype evolution of this clade. We sampled 38 species representing the three Neotropical Meliponini groups; 35 for karyotype analyses and 16 for 1C value measurement. The chromosome number varied from 2n = 16 to 2n = 34, with distinct karyotypic formulae and the presence of a few polymorphisms, such as B chromosomes in one species and arm size differences between homologous chromosomes in two species. The mean 1C value varied from 0.31 pg to 0.92 pg. We associated empirical data on chromosome number and mean 1C value to highlight the importance of Robertsonian fusion rearrangements, leading to a decrease in chromosome number during the Neotropical Meliponini evolution. These data also allowed us to infer the independent heterochromatin amplification in several genera. Although less frequent, Melipona species with 2n = 22 represent evidence of Robertsonian fissions. We also pointed out the importance of chromosomal rearrangements that did not alter chromosome number, such as inversions and heterochromatin amplification.

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Karyotypic description of the stingless bee Melipona quinquefasciata Lepeletier, 1836 (Hymenoptera, Meliponini) with emphasis on the presence of B chromosomes

Cited by 12 publications

References 38 publications

The evolution of haploid chromosome numbers in Meliponini

The evolution of haploid chromosome numbers in Meliponini

Supernumerary B Chromosomes of <i>Tetragonisca fiebrigi</i> Share Repeat Content with Standard Chromosome Set of both <i>T. fiebrigi</i> and <i>Tetragonisca angustula</i> (Apidae: Meliponini)

Robertsonian rearrangements in Neotropical Meliponini karyotype evolution (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini)

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