Tracking an invasive honey bee pest: mitochondrial 
DNA variation in North American small hive beetles

Mitochondrial DNA variations of Peruvian honey bee populations were surveyed by using the tRNAleu-cox2 intergenic region. Only two studies have characterized these populations, indicating the presence of Africanized honey bee colonies in different regions of Peru and varied levels of Africanization, but the current status of its genetic diversity is unknown. A total of 512 honey bee colonies were sampled from three regions to characterize them. Our results revealed the presence of European and African haplotypes: the African haplotypes identified belong to sub-lineage AI (13) and sub-lineage AIII (03), and the European haplotypes to lineages C (06) and M (02). Of 24 haplotypes identified, 15 new sequences are reported here (11 sub-lineage AI, 2 sub-lineage AIII, and 2 lineage M). Peruvian honey bee populations presented a higher proportion from African than European haplotypes. High proportions of African haplotype were reported for Piura and Junín, unlike Lima, which showed more European haplotypes from lineage C. Few colonies belonging to lineage M would represent accidental purchase or traces of the introduction into Peru in the 19th century.

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Mitochondrial DNA Variation of Feral Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) from Utah (USA)

Journal of Apicultural Science ◽

10.2478/jas-2018-0019 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 223-232

Author(s):

Dylan Cleary ◽

Allen L. Szalanski ◽

Clinton Trammel ◽

Mary-Kate Williams ◽

Amber Tripodi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Western Europe ◽

Dna Variation ◽

Bee Colony ◽

The Us ◽

Coii Gene

Abstract A study was conducted on the mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity of feral colonies and swarms of Apis mellifera from ten counties in Utah by sequencing the intergenic region of the cytochrome oxidase (COI-COII) gene region. A total of 20 haplotypes were found from 174 honey bee colony samples collected from 2008 to 2017. Samples belonged to the A (African) (48%); C (Eastern Europe) (43%); M (Western Europe) (4%); and O (Oriental) lineages (5%). Ten African A lineage haplotypes were observed with two unique to Utah among A lineage haplotypes recorded in the US. Haplotypes belonging to the A lineage were observed from six Utah counties located in the southern portion of the State, from elevations as high as 1357 m. All five C lineage haplotypes that were found have been observed from queen breeders in the US. Three haplotypes of the M lineage (n=7) and two of the O lineage (n=9) were also observed. This study provides evidence that honey bees of African descent are both common and diverse in wild populations of honey bees in southern Utah. The high levels of genetic diversity of A lineage honey bee colonies in Utah provide evidence that the lineage may have been established in Utah before the introduction of A lineage honey bees from Brazil to Texas in 1990.

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Interspecific and intraspecific mitochondrial DNA variation in North American bears (Ursus)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z91-421 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 69 (12) ◽

pp. 2985-2992 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

Matthew A. Cronin ◽

Steven C. Amstrup ◽

Gerald W. Garner ◽

Ernest R. Vyse

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

North American ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Sequence Divergence ◽

Black Bears ◽

Polar Bears ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Dna Variation ◽

Base Substitutions

We assessed mitochondrial DNA variation in North American black bears (Ursus americanus), brown bears (Ursus arctos), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Divergent mitochondrial DNA haplotypes (0.05 base substitutions per nucleotide) were identified in populations of black bears from Montana and Oregon. In contrast, very similar haplotypes occur in black bears across North America. This discordance of haplotype phylogeny and geographic distribution indicates that there has been maintenance of polymorphism and considerable gene flow throughout the history of the species. Intraspecific mitochondrial DNA sequence divergence in brown bears and polar bears is lower than in black bears. The two morphological forms of U. arctos, grizzly and coastal brown bears, are not in distinct mtDNA lineages. Interspecific comparisons indicate that brown bears and polar bears share similar mitochondrial DNA (0.023 base substitutions per nucleotide) which is quite divergent (0.078 base substitutions per nucleotide) from that of black bears. High mitochondrial DNA divergence within black bears and paraphyletic relationships of brown and polar bear mitochondrial DNA indicate that intraspecific variation across species' ranges should be considered in phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA.

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