Genetic parameters for weight, morphometry and oviposition of Africanized honeybee queens using simulated data

E.H Martins,T.L.O Assis,G.A Rovadoscki,M.H.V Oliveira,D.M.B Santos,G Tarôco,C.R.G Brighenti,G.B Mourão,L.G Gaya,J.P.S Nogueira

doi:10.1590/1678-4162-11709

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for simulated data of body weight (BW), abdominal width (AW), abdominal length (AL), and oviposition. Simulation was performed based on real data collected at apiaries in the region of Campo das Vertentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Genetic evaluations were performed using single- and two-trait models and (co)variance components were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method. The heritability for BW, AW, AL and oviposition were 0.54, 0.47, 0.31 and 0.66, respectively. Positive genetic correlations of high magnitude were obtained between BW and AW (0.80), BW and oviposition (0.69), AW and oviposition (0.82), and AL and oviposition (0.96). The genetic correlations between BW and AL (0.11) and between AW and AL (0.26) were considered moderate and low. In contrast, the phenotypic correlations were positive and high between BW and AW (0.97), BW and AL (0.96), and AW and AL (0.98). Phenotypic correlations of low magnitude and close to zero were obtained for oviposition with AL (0.02), AW (-0.02), and BW (-0.03). New studies involving these characteristics should be conducted on populations with biological data in order to evaluate the impact of selection on traits of economic interest.

Highlights

The queen bee is the only female with a fully developed reproductive system in a hive and can be morphologically differentiated from workers by the amount of royal jelly that she receives as food at the beginning of life (Page and Peng, 2001)
The heritability estimates for body weight (BW), abdominal width (AW), abdominal length (AL) and oviposition exhibited variation, all of them were of moderate to high magnitude (Table 3), ranging from 0.31 to 0.66
The heritability estimates obtained in this study indicate that selection for the morphological and reproductive traits evaluated in this population can promote genetic gain over generations given that variability exists in the traits studied (Gianola and Rosa, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

The queen bee is the only female with a fully developed reproductive system in a hive and can be morphologically differentiated from workers by the amount of royal jelly that she receives as food at the beginning of life (Page and Peng, 2001). According to these authors, queens gradually lay fewer eggs over the years and beekeepers replace them annually These individuals become essential for the dissemination of genetic material to their progeny (Zayed, 2009; Delaney et al, 2010) and can be selected to increase the productivity of the hive. Within this context, effective selection requires knowledge of the behavior of variables that influence the performance of the hive in terms of the desired selection (Tarpy et al, 2012). It is necessary to know the heritability and genetic correlations between these variables (Merila et al, 2001)

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Conclusion