Mitochondrial genome diversity and population structure of two western honey bee subspecies in the Republic of South Africa

Abstract

Apis mellifera capensis Eschscholtz and A.m. scutellata Lepeletier are subspecies of western honey bees that are indigenous to the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Both subspecies have invasive potential and are organisms of concern for areas outside their native range, though they are important bees to beekeepers, agriculture, and the environment where they are native. The aim of the present study was to examine genetic differentiation among these subspecies and estimate their phylogenetic relationships using complete mitochondrial genomes sequences. We used 25 individuals that were either assigned to one of the subspecies or designated hybrids using morphometric analyses. Phylogenetic analyses of mitogenome sequences by maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference identified a monophyletic RSA clade, subdivided into two clades. A haplotype network was consistent with the phylogenetic trees. However, members of both subspecies occurred in both clades, indicating that A.m. capensis and A.m. scutellata are neither reciprocally monophyletic nor do they exhibit paraphyly with one subspecies nested within the other subspecies. Furthermore, no mitogenomic features were diagnostic to either subspecies. All bees analyzed from the RSA expressed a substantial level of haplotype diversity (most samples had unique haplotypes) but limited nucleotide diversity. The number of variable codons across protein-coding genes (PCGs) differed among loci, with CO3 exhibiting the most variation and ATP6 the least.

Genetic diversity and population structure of two subspecies of western honey bees (Apis melliferaL.) in the Republic of South Africa as revealed by microsatellite genotyping

“…In an analysis of 19 microsatellite loci, we detected a high level of genetic variability based on the mean number of alleles observed per microsatellite locus and heterozygosity within and among examined honey bee regions. The high level of genetic diversity observed for all honey bee groups was consistent with that shown in previous studies (Estoup et al, 1995;Franck et al, 1998;Jaffe et al, 2010;Eimanifar et al, 2018aEimanifar et al, , 2018b. This may be true in RSA given the high densities of wild honey bee colonies in certain areas of the country (Vaudo et al, 2012a(Vaudo et al, , 2012b.…”

“…Region abbreviations are explained in Table 1. Bee identity was determined using Eimanifar et al (2018aEimanifar et al ( , 2018b and (Bustamante, Baiser & Ellis, in press). Abbreviations: N a , mean number of observed allele per locus; N e , mean number of effective population size; Ar, mean allelic richness; H obs , observed heterozygosity; H exp , expected heterozygosity; uHe, mean unbiased estimate of expected heterozygosity; I, Shannon index; F IS ; Fixation index and N P (%), percentage of mean number of private alleles per region.…”

“…A. mellifera is one of nine honey bee (Apis spp.) species, with the other eight species being work (Eimanifar et al, 2018a(Eimanifar et al, , 2018b, highlight the high genetic diversity of the honey bee populations inhabiting the RSA.…”

Comparison of pheromone trap design and lures for Spodoptera frugiperda in Togo and genetic characterization of moths caught

“…Species endemic to Africasuch as the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Neumann et al, 2016), Africanized honey bee, Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier (Eimanifar et al, 2018), Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (De Meyer, 2005), and longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) (Deyrup et al, 2000) have traveled west and became established in North America. Species endemic to Africasuch as the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Neumann et al, 2016), Africanized honey bee, Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier (Eimanifar et al, 2018), Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (De Meyer, 2005), and longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) (Deyrup et al, 2000) have traveled west and became established in North America.…”

“…Insect species are constantly shifting among continents and between hemispheres through natural movement and human-aided transport. Species endemic to Africasuch as the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Neumann et al, 2016), Africanized honey bee, Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier (Eimanifar et al, 2018), Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (De Meyer, 2005), and longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) (Deyrup et al, 2000) have traveled west and became established in North America.…”