Genetic differentiation of the Euglossini (Hymenoptera, Apidae) populations on a mainland coastal plain and an island in southeastern Brazil

Autor(es)

da Rocha Filho, Leo Correia ^[1] ; Muradas Cerantola, Natalia de Campos ^[2] ; Garofalo, Carlos Alberto ^[1] ; Imperatriz-Fonseca, Vera Lucia ^[3] ; Del Lama, Marco Antonio ^[2]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol, FFCLRP, BR-14040901 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos UFSCAR, Dept Genet & Evolucao, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rural Semi Arido, Dept Ciencias Anim, BR-59625900 Mossoro, RN - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Genetica; v. 141, n. 1-3, p. 65-74, MAR 2013.
• Citações Web of Science: 11

Resumo

Euglossini bees are among the main pollinators of plant species in tropical and subtropical forests in Central and South America. These bees are known as long-distance pollinators due to their exceptional flight performance. Here we assessed through microsatellite loci the gene variation and genetic differentiation between populations of four abundant Euglossini species populations sampled in two areas, Picinguaba (mainland) and Anchieta Island, Ubatuba, So Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. There was no significant genetic differentiation between the island and mainland samples of Euglossa cordata (Fst = 0.008, P = 0.60), Eulaema cingulata (Fst = 0.029, P = 0.29) and Eulaema nigrita (Fst = 0.062, P = 0.38), but a significant gene differentiation between mainland and island samples of Euglossa stellfeldi (Fst = 0.028, P = 0.016) was detected. As expected, our results showed that the water body that separates the island from the mainland does not constitute a geographic barrier for these Euglossini bees. The absence of populational structuring of three out the four species studied corroborates previous reports on those bees, characterized by large populations, with high gene diversity and gene flow and very low levels of diploid males. But the Eg. stellfeldi results clearly point that dispersal ability is not similar to all euglossine bees, what requires the development of different conservationist strategies to the Euglossini species. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 04/15801-0 - Biodiversidade e uso sustentável de polinizadores, com ênfase em abelhas Meliponini
• Beneficiário: Vera Lucia Imperatriz-Fonseca
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Temático