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Percorrer por autor "Cunha, Larissa"

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  • Human-mediated rapid evolutionary change in european honey bees
    Publication . Li, Fernanda; Taliadoros, Demetris; Costa, Maíra; Yadró Garcia, Carlos A.; Cunha, Larissa; Henriques, Dora; Martin-Hernandez, Raquel; de Graaf, Dirk; Webster, Matthew; Pinto, M. Alice
    In its vast distributional range, spanning Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and western Asia, the honey bee Apis mellifera diversified into 30 subspecies grouped into four major evolutionary lineages. Two of these lineages, M (western/northern European) and C (southeastern European), are parapatric in Europe. However, increasingly intensified queen trading is likely eroding the natural genetic boundaries and altering the continent’s diversity patterns. To evaluate the impact of this recent human-mediated gene flow, we conducted an unprecedented survey spanning 33 countries and sampling more than 1,300 colonies, including 139 from conservation apiaries of the M-lineage subspecies A. m. mellifera. We used a dual-marker approach combining the hypervariable mitochondrial tRNALeu–cox2 intergenic region with nuclear genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Both markers were highly concordant at the lineage level and European scale, showing that in the native area of M-lineage, which covers western and northern Europe, C-lineage ancestry is now predominant. This pattern is congruent with widespread commercial dissemination of C-lineage subspecies (A. m. carnica, A. m. ligustica), which is leading to introgressive hybridisation and, in many regions, to almost complete replacement of native subspecies. The exceptions to this trend are the Iberian Peninsula, Ireland, and conservation apiaries, which retain almost exclusively native M-lineage ancestry. Remarkably, even within the native C-lineage range in the Mediterranean and southeastern Europe, the Italian subspecies A.m. ligustica, the most widely favoured subspecies worldwide, shows worrying levels of introgression from its C-lineage neighbour A.m. carnica. Equally striking is the widespread presence of African-lineage mitotypes, whose routes of introduction remain unclear. Altogether, these findings raise serious concerns about the genetic integrity of native subspecies and the consequences of admixture for adaptation in a rapidly changing environment shaped by climate change and emerging parasites and pathogens. Further, these changes may affect the gene pools of wild A. mellifera populations, recently classified as Endangered by the IUCN.
    2025Documento de conferência Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • An unparalleled survey of honey bee genetic diversity in Europe – insights from wing shape, nuclear whole genome, and mitochondrial DNA data
    Publication . Pinto, M. Alice; Li, Fernanda; Lopes, Ana Rita; Taliadoros, Demetris; Costa, Maíra; Yadró Garcia, Carlos A.; Cunha, Larissa; Henriques, Dora; Martin Hernandez, Giselle; Albo, Alexandre; Blažytė-Čereškienė, Laima; Brodschneider, Robert; Brusbardis, Valters; Carreck, Norman; Charistos, Leonidas; Chlebo, Robert; Cillia, Giovanni; Coffey, Mary F.; Dahle, Bjorn; Danneels, Ellen; Dobrescu, Constantin; Filipi, Janja; Gajda, Anna; Gratzer, Kristina; Groeneveld, Linn; Hatjina, Fani; Johannesen, Jes; Kolasa, Michal; Körmendy-Rácz, János; Kovačić, Marin; Kristiansen, Preben; Dupleix-Marchal, Anna; Martikkala, Maritta; McCormack, Grace; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Nanetti, Antonio; Pavlov, Borce; Pietropaoli, Marco; Poirot, Benjamin; Radev, Zheko; Raudmets, Aivar; René-Douarre, Vincent; Roessink, Ivo; Škerl, Maja Ivana Smodiš; Soland, Gabriele; Titera, Dalibor; Van der Steen, Jozef; Varnava, Andri; Vejsnæs, Flemming; Graaf, Dirk C. de; Webster, Mathew
    Europe is home to 10 subspecies of Apis mellifera, classified into four main lineages sensu Ruttner: M (western and northern European), C (southeastern European), A (African), and O (Middle Eastern). However, large-scale movements of honey bee genetic material—driven by transhumance and, more importantly, queen trading—has intensified gene flow, particularly from the C-lineage subspecies A. m. carnica and A. m. ligustica, threatening the genetic integrity of several subspecies and blurring the genetic boundaries between subspecies. Here, we analyzed over 1,200 recently collected samples from apiaries in 33 countries using a multi-marker approach: maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region), nuclear genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and wing shape (DeepWings©) to provide the most updated and extensive account of honey bee genetic variation in Europe. Our results reveal a strong dominance of C-lineage ancestry across Europe, with noteworthy introgression signals in island subspecies and A. m. mellifera populations outside conservation apiaries. Notably, all three markers consistently captured these broad introgression patterns. This unprecedented survey highlights a worrying trend of genetic homogenization in European honey bee populations. Moreover, the widespread prevalence of C-lineage genetic introgression underscores the need for conservation efforts to preserve the diversity shaped by evolution, which is crucial for adaptation to growing environmental challenges.
    2025Documento de conferência Acesso aberto Ver mais