Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania
The honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) is an ecologically and economically important species that provides pollination services to natural and agricultural systems. The biodiversity of the honey bee is being endangered by the mass import of non-native queens. In many locations, it is not...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/542 |
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| author | Adam Tofilski Eliza Căuia Adrian Siceanu Gabriela Oana Vișan Dumitru Căuia |
| author_facet | Adam Tofilski Eliza Căuia Adrian Siceanu Gabriela Oana Vișan Dumitru Căuia |
| author_sort | Adam Tofilski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) is an ecologically and economically important species that provides pollination services to natural and agricultural systems. The biodiversity of the honey bee is being endangered by the mass import of non-native queens. In many locations, it is not clear how the local populations have been affected by hybridisation between native and non-native bees. There is especially little information about temporal changes in hybridisation. In Romania, <i>A. m. carpatica</i> naturally occurs, and earlier studies show that there are two subpopulations separated by the Carpathian Mountains. In this study, we investigated how the arrangement of veins in bees’ wings (venation) has changed in Romanian honey bees in the last four decades. We found that in the contemporary population of Romanian bees, there are still clear differences between the intra- and extra-Carpathian subpopulations, which indicates that natural variation among honey bees is still being preserved. We also found significant differences between bees collected before and after 2000. The observed temporal changes in wing venation are most likely caused by hybridisation between native bees and non-native bees sporadically introduced by beekeepers. In order to facilitate conservation and the monitoring of native Romanian bees, we developed a method facilitating their identification. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:31:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f5e21c669f5d4a41b76e1b2d3034bd15 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:31:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-f5e21c669f5d4a41b76e1b2d3034bd152023-11-21T23:39:36ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502021-06-0112654210.3390/insects12060542Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in RomaniaAdam Tofilski0Eliza Căuia1Adrian Siceanu2Gabriela Oana Vișan3Dumitru Căuia4Department of Zoology and Animal Welfare, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada 54, 31-425 Krakow, PolandHoneybee Genetics and Breeding Laboratory, Institute for Beekeeping Research and Development, Blv Ficusului, No. 42, Sector 1, 013975 Bucharest, RomaniaHoneybee Genetics and Breeding Laboratory, Institute for Beekeeping Research and Development, Blv Ficusului, No. 42, Sector 1, 013975 Bucharest, RomaniaHoneybee Genetics and Breeding Laboratory, Institute for Beekeeping Research and Development, Blv Ficusului, No. 42, Sector 1, 013975 Bucharest, RomaniaHoneybee Genetics and Breeding Laboratory, Institute for Beekeeping Research and Development, Blv Ficusului, No. 42, Sector 1, 013975 Bucharest, RomaniaThe honey bee (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) is an ecologically and economically important species that provides pollination services to natural and agricultural systems. The biodiversity of the honey bee is being endangered by the mass import of non-native queens. In many locations, it is not clear how the local populations have been affected by hybridisation between native and non-native bees. There is especially little information about temporal changes in hybridisation. In Romania, <i>A. m. carpatica</i> naturally occurs, and earlier studies show that there are two subpopulations separated by the Carpathian Mountains. In this study, we investigated how the arrangement of veins in bees’ wings (venation) has changed in Romanian honey bees in the last four decades. We found that in the contemporary population of Romanian bees, there are still clear differences between the intra- and extra-Carpathian subpopulations, which indicates that natural variation among honey bees is still being preserved. We also found significant differences between bees collected before and after 2000. The observed temporal changes in wing venation are most likely caused by hybridisation between native bees and non-native bees sporadically introduced by beekeepers. In order to facilitate conservation and the monitoring of native Romanian bees, we developed a method facilitating their identification.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/542honey bee<i>Apis mellifera</i>wingvenationRomania |
| spellingShingle | Adam Tofilski Eliza Căuia Adrian Siceanu Gabriela Oana Vișan Dumitru Căuia Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania Insects honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> wing venation Romania |
| title | Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania |
| title_full | Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania |
| title_fullStr | Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania |
| title_full_unstemmed | Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania |
| title_short | Historical Changes in Honey Bee Wing Venation in Romania |
| title_sort | historical changes in honey bee wing venation in romania |
| topic | honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i> wing venation Romania |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/6/542 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adamtofilski historicalchangesinhoneybeewingvenationinromania AT elizacauia historicalchangesinhoneybeewingvenationinromania AT adriansiceanu historicalchangesinhoneybeewingvenationinromania AT gabrielaoanavisan historicalchangesinhoneybeewingvenationinromania AT dumitrucauia historicalchangesinhoneybeewingvenationinromania |