Browsing by Author "Ferrari, Roberto"
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- Can introgression in M-lineage honey bees be detected by abdominal colour patterns?Publication . Henriques, Dora; Lopes, Ana; Ferrari, Roberto; Neves, Cátia J.; Quaresma, Andreia; Browne, Keith A.; McCormack, Grace P.; Pinto, M. AliceHoney bee abdominal pigmentation is one of the most recognisable traits and it is often used by beekeepers as an indicator of M-lineage subspecies purity. However, this approach may negatively impact population diversity and is futile if there is no association between tergite colour patterns and the genetic background. To assess whether this trait can be used as a proxy for introgression proportions in M-lineage subspecies, we genotyped, with highly informative SNP assays, A. m. mellifera and A. m. iberiensis individuals displaying four different colour phenotypes. The SNP data detected highly introgressed bees exhibiting a black phenotype and, at the same time, pure or marginally introgressed bees with yellow banding patterns, in both subspecies. Despite these observations, contrary to A. m. iberiensis , in A. m. mellifera , introgression proportions revealed to be a significant predictor of abdominal pigmentation. Therefore, abdominal pigmentation could be used by A. m. mellifera conservationists to guide colony selection when genetic tools are unavailable.
- Conservation of European M-lineage honey bees using abdominal colour as an indicator of subspecies purity has pitfallsPublication . Henriques, Dora; Lopes, Ana; Ferrari, Roberto; Neves, Cátia J.; Quaresma, Andreia; Browne, Keith A.; McCormack, Grace P.; Pinto, M. AliceThere are 31 honey bee (Apis mellifera) recognized subspecies, which have been grouped into four main lineages. Two of these lineages occur naturally in Europe: M in western and northern Europe and C in southeastern Europe. In Europe, M-lineage groups only two subspecies, Apis mellifera mellifera and Apis mellifera iberiensis, both being black in colour. C-Lineage groups have instead eight subspecies, including one of the beekeepers-favored and phenotypically distinct, the yellow Apis mellifera ligustica from Italy. M-lineage honey bees’ distribution has been changing and in some countries, the native bee is being replaced or hybridised with C-lineage subspecies. Honey bee abdominal pigmentation is one of the most recognisable traits and it has been used by beekeepers as an indicator of subspecies identity. However, this approach may negatively impact population diversity and is futile if there is no association between tergite colour patterns and genetic background. To test this approach, we calculated the introgression level of A. m. mellifera (N=162) and A. m. iberiensis individuals (N=559) with different colour phenotypes and from a wide geographical range using informative SNPs. In this study, many A. m. mellifera samples showed high levels of C-lineage introgression. The individuals collected in Iberia were revealed to be pure. Introgressed A. m. iberiensis individuals were all from the Azores, where a high frequency of C-lineage mitotypes exists in several islands. Our results showed that for both subspecies, it is not possible to directly identify introgressed individuals from observed colour patterns, as we found black honey bees with a considerable amount of introgression and honey bees with yellow banding that were pure or marginally introgressed. With this study, we hope to increase awareness among stakeholders of the need to use other tools to select honey bees for conservation and breeding purposes.
- Investigation of free-living honey bee colonies in IrelandPublication . Browne, Keith A.; Hassett, Jack; Geary, Michael; Moore, Elizabeth; Henriques, Dora; Soland-Reckeweg, Gabriele; Ferrari, Roberto; Mac Loughlin, Eoin; O’Brien, Elizabeth; O’Driscoll, Saoirse; Young, Philip; Pinto, M. Alice; McCormack, Grace P.Apis mellifera mellifera (Linnaeus), the Western European honey bee, is considered extinct in the wild over most of its range due largely to hybridisation and replacement by other subspecies, parasitism by Varroa destructor, habitat loss, and effects from agricultural pesticides. The purity of the subspecies within the managed cohort is also at risk over much of its range. Here, we investigated if honey bee colonies inhabited locations outside of the apiaries. In those we located, we explored how long the colony persisted and we investigated the genotypes of the bees using multiple markers. We show here that unmanaged free-living honey bee colonies are present and widespread in Ireland, inhabiting a mixture of nesting habitats with some colonies persisting naturally and unaided over multiple years. Molecular data including mitochondrial, microsatellite, and SNPs evidence indicate that the free-living population sampled is largely comprised of pure A. m. mellifera. Finally, we discuss the implications of conserving free-living A. m. mellifera in Ireland and its possible role in improving the fitness of the managed population both in Ireland and the rest of its European range.
- Quem vê riscas amarelas não vê genes: um estudo sobre poluição genética e sua relação com a cor abdominal na abelha ibérica (Apis mellifera iberiensis) e abelha negra (Apis mellifera mellifera)Publication . Henriques, Dora; Lopes, Ana; Ferrari, Roberto; Neves, Cátia J.; Quaresma, Andreia; Browne, Keith A.; McCormack, Grace P.; Pinto, M. AliceA identificação dos diferentes tipos de abelhas (raças ou subespécies) pode ser feita por marcadores morfológicos, tais como a cor do abdómen, a venação das asas e o tamanho de algumas estruturas do corpo (por exemplo: proboscis, fémur, tíbia), como também por marcadores moleculares. Apesar de os marcadores moleculares terem vindo a substituir os morfológicos nas últimas décadas, quando os apicultores querem manter um determinado tipo de abelha os marcadores morfológicos são, normalmente, os mais utilizados, pois são mais fáceis de aplicar e mais baratos. Entre as diferentes características morfológicas que podem ser usadas, a cor abdominal é sem dúvida a mais fácil de aplicar, pois basta uma avaliação visual da rainha e/ou de vários indivíduos da colónia.