<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Researchers have hypothesized that wild stingless bee colonies are a repository of genes for managed populations via the mating of managed virgin queens with males from wild colonies. We tested this hypothesis with the stingless bee, <italic>Scaptotrigona mexicana</italic>, a culturally important species in the study region. Each of ten colonies were split into two colonies and placed in a meliponary, which resulted in ten queen-right mother colonies and ten queenless daughter colonies. We allowed daughter colonies to produce gynes, which then naturally mated with males of unknown origins. Six months later, five third-instar larvae from each colony were genotyped at six microsatellite loci. Four new alleles (12% of 33 alleles) were found in daughter colonies that were not present in any other mother colony. The Fst index showed no overall significant differences between mother and daughter colonies, indicating that they belonged to the same population despite the new alleles. Interestingly, nine queens were estimated to be polyandrous, with an average mating frequency of 1.3, unlike previous reports for this species. These results have implications for the fitness of managed stingless bee colonies and suggest that a better understanding of how gene flow is affected by human management practices would be beneficial.</p></abstract>

Researchers have hypothesized that wild stingless bee colonies are a repository of genes for managed populations via the mating of managed virgin queens with males from wild colonies. We tested this hypothesis with the stingless bee, Scaptotrigona mexicana, a culturally important species in the study region. Each of ten colonies were split into two colonies and placed in a meliponary, which resulted in ten queen-right mother colonies and ten queenless daughter colonies. We allowed daughter colonies to produce gynes, which then naturally mated with males of unknown origins. Six months later, five third-instar larvae from each colony were genotyped at six microsatellite loci. Four new alleles (12% of 33 alleles) were found in daughter colonies that were not present in any other mother colony. The Fst index showed no overall significant differences between mother and daughter colonies, indicating that they belonged to the same population despite the new alleles. Interestingly, nine queens were estimated to be polyandrous, with an average mating frequency of 1.3, unlike previous reports for this species. These results have implications for the fitness of managed stingless bee colonies and suggest that a better understanding of how gene flow is affected by human management practices would be beneficial.

Gene Flow from Wild to Managed Colonies in the Stingless Bee <italic>Scaptotrigona Mexicana</italic> and an Update on its Mating Frequency

El Colegio de la Frontera Sur - Unidad Tapachula

Division of Biological Sciences, Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution

Journal of Apicultural Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Gene Flow from Wild to Managed Colonies in the Stingless Bee  and an Update on its Mating Frequency

Researchers have hypothesized that wild stingless bee colonies are a repository of genes for managed populations via the mating of managed virgin queens with...

Gene Flow from Wild to Managed Colonies in the Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona Mexicana and an Update on its Mating Frequency

Article Category: Original Article

Published Online: Dec 28, 2021

Page range: 291 - 301

Received: Mar 16, 2021

Accepted: Oct 14, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2021-0020

Keywords
eusocial bees, genetic flow, male stingless bee congregation, meliponine

© 2021 Erik de Jesús Solórzano-Gordillo et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Gene Flow from Wild to Managed Colonies in the Stingless Bee Scaptotrigona Mexicana and an Update on its Mating Frequency

Article Category: Original Article

Published Online: Dec 28, 2021

Page range: 291 - 301

Received: Mar 16, 2021

Accepted: Oct 14, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2021-0020

Keywordseusocial bees, genetic flow, male stingless bee congregation, meliponine

© 2021 Erik de Jesús Solórzano-Gordillo et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
eusocial bees, genetic flow, male stingless bee congregation, meliponine