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The Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula: a hot-spot of novel African honey bee maternal diversity

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Abstract

The Iberian honey bee has been one of the most surveyed subspecies for genetic diversity. Yet, previous studies have missed an important component of Iberian honey bee variation harbored by populations inhabiting the Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula. Herein, we provide a fuller picture of the Iberian honey bee maternal diversity by revealing 16 novel haplotypes detected in honey bees from Portugal. Of the 16 haplotypes, all of African ancestry, 15 belong to the Atlantic sub-lineage AIII while only one fits the most common sub-lineage AI. This level of new variation is remarkable as it represents a 59% increase in the wide-range African lineage and a 188% in sub-lineage AIII. Our findings further highlight the complexity of the Iberian honey bee diversity patterns and reinforce the importance of this southernmost European territory as a reservoir of Apis mellifera genetic diversity, a resource increasingly important in a rapidly changing and demanding world.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to numerous technicians of the Divisões de Intervenção Veterinária (Direcção Geral de Veterinária) and of the Beekeeping Associations, who kindly provided the honey bee samples. Financial support was provided by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and COMPETE/QREN/EU (project PTDC/BIA-BEC/099640/2008), Programa Apícola Nacional (Medida 6A) to M. A. Pinto, and by Fundación Séneca (project 11961/PI/09) to P. De la Rúa. We also thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Sta. Apolónia, Apartado 1172, 5301-855, Bragança, Portugal

    Maria Alice Pinto & Julio Chávez-Galarza

  2. Área de Biologia Animal, Dpto. de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain

    Irene Muñoz & Pilar De la Rúa

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  1. Maria Alice Pinto
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  2. Irene Muñoz
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  3. Julio Chávez-Galarza
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  4. Pilar De la Rúa
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Correspondence to Maria Alice Pinto.

Additional information

La façade atlantique de la péninsule ibérienne : un « point chaud » pour une nouvelle diversité maternelle de type africain chez l’abeille

Abeille ibérienne / diversité génétique / ADN mitochondrial / test Dra I / Portugal

Die atlantische Seite der iberischen Halbinsel: ein Hotspot für bisher unbekannte Afrika-typische maternale Diversität bei Honigbienen

Iberische Honigbiene / genetische Diversität / mtDNA / DraI-Test / Portugal

Manuscript editor: Marina Meixner

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Pinto, M.A., Muñoz, I., Chávez-Galarza, J. et al. The Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula: a hot-spot of novel African honey bee maternal diversity. Apidologie 43, 663–673 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-012-0141-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-012-0141-1

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