Population genetic structure of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) in the village of Leboter in Chainskiy district of Tomsk region

This work is a part of a complex study of honeybee, including biological, economic and environmental assessment of bee colonies in Tomsk region. The aim of this study is a more detailed characterization of hybrid populations of bees on the example of the village of Leboter in Chainskiy district of Tomsk region, as well as informative assessment of morphometric parameters. The complex of the exterior features (proboscis length and basic wings parameters) and features of the mitochondrial genome (locus cytochrome oxidase I-cytochrome oxidase II, COI-COII) in worker bees was studied. The analysis of primary morphometric parameters of the wing (cubital index, dumb-bell index and others) of worker bees in the bee-farm showed that the bees under examination were hybrids. By molecular genetic methods two variants of locus COI-COII mtDNA were found in 54 studied samples: sequence PQQ, corresponding to the Mid-Russia breed, in 44.44% of individuals and sequence Q, corresponding to the southern breed, in 55.56%. However, the conformity of data on mtDNA and morpho-metric parameters, characteristic for the respective breeds, was not practically registered on the honey bee population in the Leboter Village bee-farm. This indicates the process of cross-breeding of the Mid-Russia breed and southern species in the population of honeybees in this bee-farm. The process of "repression of genes" in the Mid-Russia breed bees is smaller-scale, as among individuals possessing the "mid-russian" locus COI-COII (PQQ), registered a lower percentage of bees with morphometric features characteristic of the southern species, compared with similar data shown for the "southern" variant Q of the locus COI-COII. A possible reason for this situation is the peculiarities of the formation of this bee population: the southern races have been delivered to bee-farm recently, and the percentage of new bee colonies of the "southern" bees to total apiary bee colonies has been insignificant. It was demonstrated that individual parameters do not ensure full evaluation of population conditions. The mitochondrial marker allows determining the origin of a species only on the maternal side. The cubital index appeared to be more significant for analysis of the breed structure of a population, but only in combination with the genetic marker. The dumb-bell index is an essential, but insufficient parameter to evaluate a honey bee population. Only complex analysis of different morphometric features and genetic peculiarities of the honey bee ensures a more complete description of the population genetic structure. The current condition of the honey bee population in the Leboter Village bee-farm indicates irreversible miscegenation processes in bees at the bee-farm. Recovery of the bee population that possesses the gene pool of the Mid-Russia breed, is possible if hybrid bees are maximally replaced by purebred bees, provided that the gene pool condition is then continually controlled and honey-bee colonies are individually selected at the bee-farm.

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