<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

A detailed morphological and genetic characterization of honey bees from the Thrace and west Anatolian regions of Turkey was surveyed. A total of 1650 worker bee samples (110 colonies) were evaluated with the forty-one morphological characters and 217 honey bee samples were analyzed via DNA sequencing of the tRNAleu-cox2 region. In this study, three different populations, Thrace (Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Edirne provinces), Island Gökçeada, and western Anatolia were formed based on morphometrics, since the Marmara Sea has taken a very strong barrier role in this formation. The morphological similarity of the Thrace population was supported by the genetic analysis. The sequencing of the tRNAleu-cox2 region revealed twenty-two different haplotypes, sixteen of which are novel. The C2d, macedonica-like haplotype, was the most widely found haplotype (48%) all around the Thrace region. Along with the C2d haplotype, previously published C2s, C2v, C2i, C2j, and C2h haplotypes, and the newly found haplotypes were also observed but less frequently. In this study, Thrace honey bees were found to more similar to <italic>A. m. macedonica</italic> through the mtDNA sequence analysis, whereas carnica-like honey bees were only found near the Istranca mountain ridges, Kırklareli province and macedonica-like honey bees all around the Thrace region. According to our results, some of the Thrace honey bee populations may be both <italic>A. m. carnica</italic> and <italic>A. m. macedonica</italic> but the assignment to the latter subspecies seems more likely due to its geographic range.
</abstract>

A detailed morphological and genetic characterization of honey bees from the Thrace and west Anatolian regions of Turkey was surveyed. A total of 1650 worker bee samples (110 colonies) were evaluated with the forty-one morphological characters and 217 honey bee samples were analyzed via DNA sequencing of the tRNAleu-cox2 region. In this study, three different populations, Thrace (Tekirdağ, Kırklareli and Edirne provinces), Island Gökçeada, and western Anatolia were formed based on morphometrics, since the Marmara Sea has taken a very strong barrier role in this formation. The morphological similarity of the Thrace population was supported by the genetic analysis. The sequencing of the tRNAleu-cox2 region revealed twenty-two different haplotypes, sixteen of which are novel. The C2d, macedonica-like haplotype, was the most widely found haplotype (48%) all around the Thrace region. Along with the C2d haplotype, previously published C2s, C2v, C2i, C2j, and C2h haplotypes, and the newly found haplotypes were also observed but less frequently. In this study, Thrace honey bees were found to more similar to A. m. macedonica through the mtDNA sequence analysis, whereas carnica-like honey bees were only found near the Istranca mountain ridges, Kırklareli province and macedonica-like honey bees all around the Thrace region. According to our results, some of the Thrace honey bee populations may be both A. m. carnica and A. m. macedonica but the assignment to the latter subspecies seems more likely due to its geographic range.

Morphometric and Genetic Characterization of Honey Bees (<italic>Apis mellifera</italic> L.) From Thrace Region of Turkey

Bioengineering, Istanbul Medeniyet University / Agricultural Biotechnology, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University

Agricultural Biotechnology, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University

Journal of Apicultural Science

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

Morphometric and Genetic Characterization of Honey Bees ( L.) From Thrace Region of Turkey

A detailed morphological and genetic characterization of honey bees from the Thrace and west Anatolian regions of Turkey was surveyed. A total of 1650 worker...

Morphometric and Genetic Characterization of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) From Thrace Region of Turkey

Article Category: Original Article

Published Online: Jun 22, 2022

Page range: 67 - 83

Received: Sep 22, 2021

Accepted: Mar 24, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2022-0005

Keywords
DNA sequencing, morphometrics, thrace honey bees, tRNA-Cox2 gene

© 2022 Fulya Özdil et al., published by Sciendo

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

Morphometric and Genetic Characterization of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) From Thrace Region of Turkey

Article Category: Original Article

Published Online: Jun 22, 2022

Page range: 67 - 83

Received: Sep 22, 2021

Accepted: Mar 24, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jas-2022-0005

KeywordsDNA sequencing, morphometrics, thrace honey bees, tRNA-Cox2 gene

© 2022 Fulya Özdil et al., published by Sciendo

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

Keywords
DNA sequencing, morphometrics, thrace honey bees, tRNA-Cox2 gene