Apidologie 36 (2005) 335-344
DOI: 10.1051/apido:2005021

Genetic divergence and phylogenetic relationships of honey bee Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) populations from Greece and Cyprus using PCR - RFLP analysis of three mtDNA segments

Maria Bouga^a, Paschalis C. Harizanis^b, George Kilias^a and Stamatis Alahiotis<sup>a

a</sup>   Department of Biology, Division of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Patras, Rio, 265 00, Patras, Greece
^b   Laboratory of Sericulture - Apiculture, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 118 55, Athens, Greece

(Received 1 August 2003 - Revised 1 September 2004 - Accepted 8 November 2004; Published online: 7 July 2005)

Abstract - The genetic structure and phylogenetic relationships among six honey bee populations were studied using RFLP analysis on three PCR-amplified mtDNA gene segments (16s rDNA, CO I, and ND 5). The populations were sampled from various areas of Greece and Cyprus and correspond to Apis mellifera adami, A. m. macedonica, A. m. cecropia, and A. m. cypria races, based on origin (Ruttner, 1988). Seven, eight and seven restriction enzymes were found to have at least one recognition site at the 16s rDNA, CO I, and ND 5 segments, respectively. Seven different haplotypes were detected and diagnostic patterns enabled us to discriminate A. m. macedonica from the rest of the populations (races). The estimated net nucleotide sequence divergence among the populations examined was found to range from 0.00 to 1.18 with the highest value observed to be between A. m. macedonica and non-A. m. macedonica populations. The trees obtained (by UPGMA and Dollo parsimony methods) revealed that the most distant population was that of A. m. macedonica.

Key words: Apis mellifera / honey bee / mtDNA / genetic variability / Greece

Corresponding author: Maria Bouga mbouga@aua.gr

© INRA, DIB-AGIB, EDP Sciences 2005