Gene flow in admixed populations and implications for the conservation of the western honeybee, Apis mellifera
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Published source details
Soland-Reckeweg G., Heckel G., Neumann P., Fluri P. & Excoffier L. (2009) Gene flow in admixed populations and implications for the conservation of the western honeybee, Apis mellifera. Journal of Insect Conservation, 13, 317-328.
Published source details Soland-Reckeweg G., Heckel G., Neumann P., Fluri P. & Excoffier L. (2009) Gene flow in admixed populations and implications for the conservation of the western honeybee, Apis mellifera. Journal of Insect Conservation, 13, 317-328.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Keep pure breeding populations of native honey bee subspecies Action Link |
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Keep pure breeding populations of native honey bee subspecies
One replicated trial estimated the degree of hybridisation in six 'pure breeding' populations of the native black honey bee Apis mellifera mellifera, kept by beekeepers in eastern Switzerland (Soland-Reckeweg et al. 2009). The introduced southeastern European subspecies A. m. carnica also thrives in this area. The study, based on nine honey bee genetic markers (microsatellites) and a sample of 100 black honey bee workers (a single worker from each of 100 colonies), found that 28% of the sampled bees were hybrids. In the same area, 17% of workers sampled from pure breeding populations of the introduced subspecies A. m. carnica were also hybrids. These findings suggest that conservation management strategies for the black honey bee need improvement, perhaps by bee breeders using genetic testing rather than conventional appearance to identify hybrids.
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