Abstract
Bumblebees (genus Bombus Latreille) are pollinator insects of great ecological and economic importance, which commercial use for pollination has increased since the 80s. However, the introduction of foreign Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus) has resulted in a decline of native bumblebee populations in Japan, Chile or Argentina among others. To study the potential introgression of commercial B. terrestris into the Iberian endemic subspecies Bombus terrestris lusitanicus Krüger, it is necessary to find a precise molecular marker that differentiates both subspecies. For this purpose, comparative analyses were carried out between B. t. lusitanicus and B. t. terrestris (Linnaeus) from Spain and from Belgium by sequencing the nuclear genes elongation factor 1-α and arginine kinase and the mitochondrial gene 16S ribosomal RNA, and genotyping with eleven microsatellite loci. No differentiation was observed at the nuclear level, but haplotypes found within the 16S sequence correlated with the morphological characterization of the subspecies. In a case study including individuals sampled before the establishment of bumblebee rearing companies and others from recent samplings, we detected hybrid individuals (those with non-matching morphological subspecies and 16S haplotype) more frequently in the south supporting the naturalization of commercial B. t. terrestris and introgression events between both subspecies. This marker should be used in Iberian populations with the aim to support management and conservation actions in endemic populations of B. t. lusitanicus.
Highlights
The average pollination dependency of crops was estimated to around 300 000 million of euros in 2009 (Lautenbach et al, 2012)
We aim to evaluate the sequence variation of two nuclear genes and one mitochondrial gene as potential subspecific markers to differentiate B. t. terrestris and B. t. lusitanicus
23 arginine kinase (ArgK), 27 elongation factor-1α (EF-1α) and 30 16S sequences were obtained in the preliminary study
Summary
The average pollination dependency of crops was estimated to around 300 000 million of euros in 2009 (Lautenbach et al, 2012). Such introductions suppose a risk for the conservation of endemic species and subspecies in many countries (Lecocq et al, 2015) to the extent that invasions of commercial nonnative bumblebees have been reported as one of the 15 emerging issues for global conservation in 2017 (Sutherland et al, 2016) In this sense, Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus) can leave greenhouses and colonize the environment (Kraus et al, 2010), presenting some negative effects on native bees, for instance, displacing wild species while competing for resources such as pollen or nesting places (Matsumura et al, 2004; Aizen et al, 2018). This colonization might affect native species by spreading exotic diseases and parasites (Whitehorn et al, 2013) and changing plant-pollinator interactions in non-native environments, impacting crops, native plants
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