Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina

European lineages of Apis mellifera were first introduced into America for beekeeping purposes. A subsequent introduction and accidental release of A. m. scutellata resulted in hybridization events that gave rise to Africanized populations that rapidly spread throughout the continent. In Argentina,...

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Main Authors: Bianchi, Eliana Mariel, Agra, Marcelo Nicolás, Garcia, Cristina Esther, Gennari, Gerardo Pablo, Maldonado, Luis Maria, Rodriguez, Graciela Adriana, Palacio, María Alejandra, Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla, Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz
Format: Artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Frontiers Media 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/10885
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.590225/full
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.590225
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author Bianchi, Eliana Mariel
Agra, Marcelo Nicolás
Garcia, Cristina Esther
Gennari, Gerardo Pablo
Maldonado, Luis Maria
Rodriguez, Graciela Adriana
Palacio, María Alejandra
Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla
Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz
author_browse Agra, Marcelo Nicolás
Bianchi, Eliana Mariel
Garcia, Cristina Esther
Gennari, Gerardo Pablo
Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz
Maldonado, Luis Maria
Palacio, María Alejandra
Rodriguez, Graciela Adriana
Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla
author_facet Bianchi, Eliana Mariel
Agra, Marcelo Nicolás
Garcia, Cristina Esther
Gennari, Gerardo Pablo
Maldonado, Luis Maria
Rodriguez, Graciela Adriana
Palacio, María Alejandra
Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla
Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz
author_sort Bianchi, Eliana Mariel
collection INTA Digital
description European lineages of Apis mellifera were first introduced into America for beekeeping purposes. A subsequent introduction and accidental release of A. m. scutellata resulted in hybridization events that gave rise to Africanized populations that rapidly spread throughout the continent. In Argentina, Africanized honey bees (AHBs) have been mostly detected in northern regions of the territory, and represent a valuable genetic resource for the selection of stocks with advantageous characteristics for beekeeping. The objective of the present study was to profile honey bee colonies of wild origin with potential beneficial traits for apiculture using morphological, molecular and behavioral traits. Honey bee colonies chosen for evaluation were located in two different agro-ecological regions in north-western Argentina (Tucumán province): The Chaco Depressed Plain (Leales apiary) and the Piedmont (Famaillá apiary). Each apiary was surveyed three times during the 2017–2018 season (mid-season, wintertime, and early spring) for: brood population, phoretic Varroa level and defensive behavior (run, fly, sting, and hang). At the midpoint of the beekeeping season colonies were also characterized by morphometry (45 variables) and mitochondrial haplotypes (COI–COII intergenic region). Apiaries studied showed similar patterns throughout the beekeeping season, for most of the characteristics monitored. However, significant variation in defensive behavior parameters was found between apiaries at the different times of evaluation. Twelve of 45 morphometric variables also showed significant differences between apiaries. The mitochondrial haplotype analysis revealed a high representation of African A4 and A1 haplotypes (91%) in both apiaries. Haplotype variation was associated with morphometric and behavioral traits. Multivariate analyses [principal component analysis (PCA) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA)] including morphometric and behavior variables explained 65.3% (PCA) and 48.1% (PCoA) of the variability observed between colonies in the first two components. Several morphometric parameters and “fly” behavior were mainly associated with the separation of the colonies. The results from this study point to a possible association between morphometric and behavioral variation and the adaptation of honey bee colonies to differential agro-ecological conditions. We discuss how the detected variation between apiaries can be used for the selection and preservation of honey bee ecotypes in regional breeding programs.
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spelling INTA108852021-12-10T15:52:39Z Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina Bianchi, Eliana Mariel Agra, Marcelo Nicolás Garcia, Cristina Esther Gennari, Gerardo Pablo Maldonado, Luis Maria Rodriguez, Graciela Adriana Palacio, María Alejandra Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz Honey Bees Environment Argentina Apidae Apis Mellifera Abeja Melífera Medio Ambiente Defensiveness Mitochondrial Haplotype Morphometry European lineages of Apis mellifera were first introduced into America for beekeeping purposes. A subsequent introduction and accidental release of A. m. scutellata resulted in hybridization events that gave rise to Africanized populations that rapidly spread throughout the continent. In Argentina, Africanized honey bees (AHBs) have been mostly detected in northern regions of the territory, and represent a valuable genetic resource for the selection of stocks with advantageous characteristics for beekeeping. The objective of the present study was to profile honey bee colonies of wild origin with potential beneficial traits for apiculture using morphological, molecular and behavioral traits. Honey bee colonies chosen for evaluation were located in two different agro-ecological regions in north-western Argentina (Tucumán province): The Chaco Depressed Plain (Leales apiary) and the Piedmont (Famaillá apiary). Each apiary was surveyed three times during the 2017–2018 season (mid-season, wintertime, and early spring) for: brood population, phoretic Varroa level and defensive behavior (run, fly, sting, and hang). At the midpoint of the beekeeping season colonies were also characterized by morphometry (45 variables) and mitochondrial haplotypes (COI–COII intergenic region). Apiaries studied showed similar patterns throughout the beekeeping season, for most of the characteristics monitored. However, significant variation in defensive behavior parameters was found between apiaries at the different times of evaluation. Twelve of 45 morphometric variables also showed significant differences between apiaries. The mitochondrial haplotype analysis revealed a high representation of African A4 and A1 haplotypes (91%) in both apiaries. Haplotype variation was associated with morphometric and behavioral traits. Multivariate analyses [principal component analysis (PCA) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA)] including morphometric and behavior variables explained 65.3% (PCA) and 48.1% (PCoA) of the variability observed between colonies in the first two components. Several morphometric parameters and “fly” behavior were mainly associated with the separation of the colonies. The results from this study point to a possible association between morphometric and behavioral variation and the adaptation of honey bee colonies to differential agro-ecological conditions. We discuss how the detected variation between apiaries can be used for the selection and preservation of honey bee ecotypes in regional breeding programs. Instituto de Investigación Animal del Chaco Semiárido Fil: Bianchi, Eliana Mariel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Investigación Animal del Chaco Semiárido; Argentina Fil: Agra, Marcelo Nicolás. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Fil: Agra, Marcelo Nicolás. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Fil: García, Cristina Esther. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Fil: García, Cristina Esther. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina Fil: Gennari, Gerardo Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Faimallá; Argentina Fil: Maldonado, Luis Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Faimallá; Argentina Fil: Rodriguez, Graciela Adriana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Hilario Ascasubi; Argentina Fil: Palacio, María Alejandra. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce; Argentina. Fil: Palacio, María Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Fil: Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; Argentina Fil: Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Genética; Argentina 2021-12-10T15:45:38Z 2021-12-10T15:45:38Z 2021-09-14 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/10885 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.590225/full 2296-701X https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.590225 eng info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/PNAPI-1112042/AR./Estrategias multidisciplinarias para mitigar el efecto del nuevo contexto ambiental y productivo sobre la colmena. info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PE-E1-I017-001/2019-PE-E1-I017-001/AR./DESARROLLO DEL SECTOR APÍCOLA ORGANIZADO, SUSTENTABLE Y COMPETITIVO info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PD-E4-I079-001/2019-PD-E4-I079-001/AR./Genética, genómica y ecología de insectos de importancia agronómica como insumo para el desarrollo de estrategias sustentables de control plagas info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Frontiers Media Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9: 590225 (September 2021)
spellingShingle Honey Bees
Environment
Argentina
Apidae
Apis Mellifera
Abeja Melífera
Medio Ambiente
Defensiveness
Mitochondrial Haplotype
Morphometry
Bianchi, Eliana Mariel
Agra, Marcelo Nicolás
Garcia, Cristina Esther
Gennari, Gerardo Pablo
Maldonado, Luis Maria
Rodriguez, Graciela Adriana
Palacio, María Alejandra
Scannapieco, Alejandra Carla
Lanzavecchia, Silvia Beatriz
Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina
title Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina
title_full Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina
title_fullStr Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina
title_short Defensive Behavior and Morphometric Variation in Apis mellifera Colonies From Two Different Agro-Ecological Zones of North-Western Argentina
title_sort defensive behavior and morphometric variation in apis mellifera colonies from two different agro ecological zones of north western argentina
topic Honey Bees
Environment
Argentina
Apidae
Apis Mellifera
Abeja Melífera
Medio Ambiente
Defensiveness
Mitochondrial Haplotype
Morphometry
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/10885
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.590225/full
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.590225
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