Isoenzyme variation in Melipona rufiventris (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponina) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Microsatellite Marker Discovery in the Stingless Bee Uruçu-Amarela (Melipona rufiventris Group, Hymenoptera, Meliponini) for Population Genetic Analysis

The species Melipona rufiventris Lepeletier, 1836 is a Brazilian native stingless bee that is part of a species complex known as the ‘rufiventris group’, making it difficult to distinguish between the different species. Populations in this group are facing a severe decline, leading to the risk of local extinction, and therefore, their conservation should be treated as a major concern. This study describes the first set of tri- and tetranucleotide microsatellite markers, using next-generation sequencing technology for use in the identification of genetic diversity and population structure in the ‘rufiventris group’. A total of 16 microsatellite loci displayed polymorphism. Analysis of the whole data set (n = 50) detected 63 alleles in all loci, ranging from 2 to 7 with a mean of 3.9 alleles/locus. A genetic diversity analysis revealed high values for population differentiation estimates (F_ST = 0.252, R_ST = 0.317, and D_EST = 0.284) between the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Caatinga biomes. An additional evidence for genetic divergence among populations was also found in the ’rufiventris group’; these should be treated as separate conservation units or even as separate species. These microsatellite markers have demonstrated a strong potential for assessing population discrimination in this threatened stingless bee group.

Molecular genetic diversity in populations of the stingless bee Plebeia remota: A case study

Genetic diversity is a major component of the biological diversity of an ecosystem. The survival of a population may be seriously threatened if its genetic diversity values are low. In this work, we measured the genetic diversity of the stingless bee Plebeia remota based on molecular data obtained by analyzing 15 microsatellite loci and sequencing two mitochondrial genes. Population structure and genetic diversity differed depending on the molecular marker analyzed: microsatellites showed low population structure and moderate to high genetic diversity, while mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) showed high population structure and low diversity in three populations. Queen philopatry and male dispersal behavior are discussed as the main reasons for these findings.

Genetic differentiation of the stingless bee Tetragonula pagdeni in Thailand using SSCP analysis of a large subunit of mitochondrial ribosomal DNA

Genetic diversity and population differentiation of the stingless bee Tetragonula pagdeni (Schwarz) was assessed using single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of a large subunit of the ribosomal RNA gene (16S rRNA). High levels of genetic variation among individuals within each population (North, Northeast, Central, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Peninsular Thailand) of T. pagdeni were observed. Analysis of molecular variance indicated significant genetic differentiation among the six geographic populations (Φ (PT) = 0.28, P < 0.001) and between samples collected from north and south of the Isthmus of Kra (Φ (PT) = 0.18, P < 0.001). In addition, Φ (PT) values between all pairwise comparisons were statistically significant (P < 0.01), indicating strong degrees of intraspecific population differentiation. Therefore, PCR-SSCP is a simple and cost-effective technique applicable for routine population genetic analyses in T. pagdeni and other stingless bees. The results also provide an important baseline for the conservation and management of this ecologically important species.