New COI-COII mtDNA Region Haplotypes in the Endemic Honey Bees <i>Apis mellifera intermissa</i> and <i>Apis mellifera sahariensis</i> (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Algeria

The practice of beekeeping in Algeria is of great cultural, social, and economic importance. However, the importation of non-local subspecies reported by beekeepers has disrupted the natural geographical distribution area and the genetic diversity of the native honey bees. To assess the genetic diversity of A. m. intermissa and A. m. sahariensis, and their relationships with African and European subspecies, the COI-COII intergenic region was analyzed in 335 individuals, 68 sampled in Algeria, 71 in Europe, Madagascar, and the South West Indian Ocean archipelagos, and 196 sequences recovered from GenBank. The results show the presence of the A lineage exclusively in Algerian samples with the identification of 24 haplotypes of which 16 are described for the first time. These haplotypes were found to be shared by both subspecies, with A74 being the most common haplotype in the population studied. The sequence comparison indicates the existence of three polymorphisms of the COI-COII marker: P0Q, P0QQ, and P0QQQ. One new haplotype was identified in the M lineage in samples from France. No evidence of genetic introgression within the Algerian honey bee population was detected. These data enhance our knowledge of the genetic diversity and emphasize the importance of protecting these local subspecies

Genetic diversity and population genetic structure analysis of Apis mellifera subspecies in Algeria and Europe based on complementary sex determiner (CSD) gene

International audienceIn honeybees, the mechanism of sex determination depends on genetic variation at the complementary sex determiner ( CSD ) locus, which has a large allelic diversity. In this study, we examined the population genetic structure and genetic diversity within the highly variable region ( HVR ) of CSD in five Apis mellifera subspecies, in addition to Buckfast and unknown mixed ancestry bees. We sequenced CSD in 329 drones, 146 from Algeria ( A. m. intermissa and A. m. sahariensis subspecies) and 183 from Europe ( A. m. ligustica , A. m. carnica , A. m. mellifera subspecies, Buckfast samples, and individuals of unknown mixed ancestry). A total of 119 nucleotide haplotypes were detected. These corresponded to 119 protein haplotypes, of which 81 were new. The analysis of these haplotypes showed that HVR diversity levels were comparable with those in other populations of honeybee worldwide. Paradoxically, this high level of diversity at the locus did not allow for a separation of the samples according to their subspecies origin, which suggested either an evolutionary convergence or a conservation of alleles across subspecies, and an absence of genetic drift. Our results can be used to provide more information about the CSD diversity to include in breeding programs of honeybee populations