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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
In this study, honey bees fromthe Macaronesian archipelago of the Azoreswere extensively surveyed to
unveil diversity patterns. A total of 638 colonies were analyzed over two time periods using mtDNA and wing
geometric morphometrics. The genetic composition revealed to be heterogeneous and related to historical and
contemporary human-mediated introductions. The close relationship of Azorean populations with those from
northern Portugal supports historical introductions by Portuguese settlers. The African sublineage AIII prevailed
on five islands, contrasting with three islands where C haplotypes were dominant. On Pico and Graciosa, C
haplotypes are due to recent imports of commercial queens. On Faial, the sudden replacement of AIII by C
haplotypes coincided with arrival of Varroa destructor . This study deepens the current understanding of
Macaronesian honey bees, suggesting that they are variants of the Iberian honey bee with differential levels of Cderived
introgression.
Description
Keywords
Iberian honey bee tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region Wing geometricmorphometrics DraI test
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Ferreira, Helena; Henriques, Dora; Neves, Cátia J.; Machado, Clycie A. S.; Azevedo, João; Francoy, Tiago M.; Pinto, M. Alice (2020). Historical and contemporaneous human-mediated processes left a strong genetic signature on honey bee populations from the Macaronesian archipelago of the Azores. Apidologia. ISSN 0044-8435. 51:3, p. 316–328