Bee appearance and behavior may be related, genetic study reveals

Date:
January 27, 2022
Source:
University of Florida
Summary:
The findings will be used to help researchers determine how traits,
characteristics and color impact behavior.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Recently discovered genetic knowledge of two nuisance western honey bee subspecies will help commercial and hobby beekeepers.


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A new UF/IFAS study identified genetic characteristics relevant to the production and behavioral attributes of these two key bee subspecies. For example, researchers found Cape bees to be significantly darker than Africanized bees. This dark coloring could be genetically correlated to
their undesired behavior.

Both subspecies are undesired in the United States. The first, the
"killer bee" or "Africanized honey bee," known scientifically as
A.m. scutellata, is a light-colored bee known for its territorial and
defensive nature. This subspecies was taken from its native habitat in
South Africa to Brazil in the 1950's. There, it hybridized with the
European bee subspecies kept by Brazilian beekeepers, and then moved
into the U.S.

A.m. scutellata are considered invasive bees and can take over colonies
of managed honey bees, which can lower profits for beekeepers. They also
are known for their heightened defensive behavior.

The second subspecies studied, the "cape honey bee," known scientifically
as A.m. capensis, presents a slew of problems to beekeepers. These bees
are more docile but are more likely than African honey bees to take over
hives. Cape bees are considered social parasites. Unlike other honey bee subspecies, cape worker bees can clone themselves, producing female eggs without first mating.

These clones can take over a hive. These workers cannot reproduce at the
same rate as a traditional queen and the colony will eventually dwindle
and collapse, a phenomenon coined "capensis calamity." "More amazing
than the cape bee worker's ability to clone itself is the rate at which
it can take over other colonies," said Jamie Ellis, UF/IFAS professor.

"We are working to ensure these bees do not make their way to the United
States because in most cases, when these bees take over a colony, the
colony is doomed." Genetic studies can be used to understand "why the
way things are" for an organism. In this case, researchers sought to
understand what genetic traits contribute to the appearance of these
bees and their behavior. Using data collected from South African bees
from a previous USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service funded
study in 2013 and 2014, scientists sought to understand what genes are responsible for the physical characteristics of these subspecies.

"We found really interesting variations in the genes of these bees that
can help explain why they look and behave differently," said Laura
Patterson Rosa, UF/IFAS graduate student and co-lead author of the
study. "There are a lot of implications to what we found. We have not
yet been able to verify these new discoveries in additional populations,
but if our findings stand the test of time, it could partially explain why
we see behavioral changes, why they do not acknowledge the existence of
queens of other subspecies and why they can clone themselves when other
bees cannot." "Color phenotype is an important aspect to beekeeping management," said Ellis.

"It can help beekeepers know what type of honey bee they have." Cape bees
are significantly darker than the Africanized bees. This dark coloring
could be genetically correlated to their cloning and colony takeover
behavior. "There are potentially over 30 subspecies of honey bees. We investigated only two in the published study," said Ellis. "Does this
finding hold true for the other dark colored honey bee subspecies? It
would be interesting to look for these mutations across all western
honey bee subspecies to determine if this is the case." Curiosity about traits, characteristics and color and how they impact behavior persists
as researchers hope to use these findings for future research.

Special thanks to supporters of this research including USDA APHIS and
the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through the guidance of the Honey Bee Technical Council.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Florida. Original
written by Tory Moore.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Laura Patterson Rosa, Amin Eimanifar, Abigail G. Kimes, Samantha A.

Brooks, James D. Ellis. Attack of the dark clones the genetics of
reproductive and color traits of South African honey bees (Apis
mellifera spp.). PLOS ONE, 2021; 16 (12): e0260833 DOI: 10.1371/
journal.pone.0260833 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220127141621.htm

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