The Current State of the Protected Apis mellifera mellifera Population in Russia: Hybridization and Nosematosis.

Milyausha Kaskinova,Alexander Poskryakov,Luisa Gaifullina,Elena Saltykova,Alexey Nikolenko

doi:10.3390/ani11102892

Milyausha Kaskinova, Alexander Poskryakov + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102892

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Abstract

Simple SummaryThe Southern Ural Mountains are a habitat for one of the remaining populations of the dark forest bees Apis mellifera mellifera. Using molecular genetic methods, we have established that there are processes of hybridization of this population with subspecies from the evolutionary lineage C. In addition, some colonies are affected by nosematosis. Therefore, it is necessary to take urgent measures to preserve this population.The Southern Urals of Russia are the habitat of one of the surviving populations of the dark forest bee—the Burzyan population of Apis mellifera mellifera. In this study, we present the results of the subspecies identification of bee colonies in the Altyn-Solok Nature Reserve in the Southern Ural Mountains using the intergenic mtDNA COI-COII locus and the assessment of the prevalence of nosematosis. Analysis of the mtDNA COI-COII intergenic locus in the studied sample showed that 30.4% of the colonies belong to the lineage C. The PCR diagnostics of nosematosis in 92 colonies selected from different sectors of the Altyn-Solok Nature Reserve showed that about half of the analyzed colonies were infected with Nosema apis. Nosema ceranae was found in eight colonies. Both of these factors can lead to the extinction of this population of the dark forest bee.

Highlights

A decrease in the number of bee populations is observed worldwide [1,2]; this is a result of the action of various factors, including diseases [3,4,5] and hybridization [6,7]
The intestine of one bee was rubbed with 1 mL of distilled water, a drop of the resulting suspension was examined under a microscope at a magnification of 400X using a Biopmolyeadcrmyliacmroidseco(Fpigeu(rRe u1Bss).iaA).DNA sample from a colony with a high level of infection with nosematosis, confirmed by microscopy, was used as a positive control
Analysis of thuseinpgoalByimomoerdpmhiiscmroscoofpeth(ReusCsiOa)I.-COII locus showed that 30.4% of the analyzed colonies3.bReelosunlgts to the evolutionary lineage C

Summary

Introduction

A decrease in the number of bee populations is observed worldwide [1,2]; this is a result of the action of various factors, including diseases [3,4,5] and hybridization [6,7]. The European honeybee Apis mellifera has two Nosema species: N. apis and N. ceranae. The first infestation of European bees with N. ceranae was recorded in 2005 in Spain [17]. It spread over Europe [8], America [12], Australia [13], and North Africa [18]. Two methods have been developed to identify Nosema sp.—microscopic and molecular [19]. Even though the morphology of the spores of the two Nosema species is different [20], it is difficult to differentiate these species at a low level of infection or the vegetative stage of pathogen development. PCR analysis has become an important addition to microscopy, as it allows one to identify the pathogen in the vegetative stage of development [8,12,21]

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