Caracterización molecular de la biodiversidad de la cabaña apícola de la provincia de Albacete

Abstract

In this work we have studied the molecular biodiversity of honey bee (Apis mellifera iberiensis) colonies located in the province of Albacete. For this purpose, samples of honey bee workers were taken from colonies located throughout the province. These samples were characterized by analyzing a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA molecule (mtDNA). Such analysis allows to distinguish the evolutionary lineage that the colonies belong to and the type of mtDNA or haplotype bear by them. The results demonstrated that honey bees from Albacete belong mostly to the African evolutionary lineage (80%). These samples presented a high frequency of a particular type of mitochondrial molecule (or haplotype) most abundant in southern peninsular bees (A2, 63%). On the other hand, it has been detected a colony with a haplotype (C1) corresponding to European subspecies. This suggests that honey bee queens are being introduced from other sources but with a very low frequency. These data were used to complete the distribution map of peninsular evolutionary lineages and haplotypes in the Iberian honey bees.