Palynological classification of Onosma L. (Boraginaceae) species from east Mediterranean region in Turkey

Twenty-five Onosma (Boraginaceae) taxa belonging to two subsections Haplotricha and Asterotricha from the east Mediterranean region in Turkey were studied by palynological analysis and numerical taxonomy. Application of discriminant function analysis to raw data obtained from the acetolysis and Wodehouse methods resulted in very good allocation of species to their original groups. However the results obtained from acetolysis (99%) resulted in better discrimination than theWodehouse (97%) method. Asimilar outcome was reached in principal component analysis and UPGMA. Higher percentage of phenetic variation was explained by the acetolysis method. The utility of palynological data in taxonomic classification with the use of using numerical methods is discussed

Morphometric, Genetic and Competitive Study of the Grey Mountain Honeybee Populations (Apis mellifera caucasia) in Azerbaijan

We conducted a study on the mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity of honeybees from Caucasian Bee samples by morphometric analysis and molecular analyses of three regions of mitochondrial DNA (CytB, COI, and COI-COI intergenic regions). In morphometric study by principal component analysis 32 colonies were grouped in big cluster. ANOVA analyses showed significantly different among 4 groups of honeybees for most studied traits characters. Total of 488 bases in COI-COII region, 981 bases in COI region and 425 bases were obtained after trimming in partial CYT B region. This investigation showed that variation mtDNA regions can be used for the characterization of Azerbaijan honeybees

Allozyme variation in Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) in Turkey, with particular emphasis on the taxonomy

WOS: 000261906600003The Turkish black rat "Rattus rattus" shows variation in coat colour corresponding to the occurrence of three subspecies with intermediate colour stages: Rattus rattus rattus, Rattus r. alexandrinus and Rattus r. frugivorus. Turkish black rat populations were divided geographically into six sub-populations: Rr1 = Northwest Anatolia, Rr2 = Central Anatolia, Rr3 = Eastern Mediterranean, Rr4 = Western Mediterranean, Rr5 = Turkish Thrace, and Rr6 = Black Sea region. Genetic variation was assessed using twenty two isoenzyme systems. Seven of twenty-two loci (Pgm-1, Hk, Ale-M, G3pdh, Gpdh-1, Gpi, Fum-1) were found to be polymorphic. The mean Value of F(ST) is found to be 0.073, indicating 7.3 % genetic variation among groups and suggesting the existence of a moderate differentiation between sub-populations of the Turkish black rat. Overall mean heterozygosity (Ho = direct count) for sub-populations was Ho = 0.020, ranging from 0.008 to 0.031. Nei's measure of genetic distance showed that Rr2 and Rr6 were the most identical and sub-populations Rr1 and Rr5 had diverged the most.BAP of Ankara UniversityAnkara University [97.05.03.04, 2000.07.05.037]We wish to thank Dr Ben BRILOT for comments on the text. This study was supported by BAP (97.05.03.04 and 2000.07.05.037) of Ankara University

Mitogenome Phylogeny Including Data from Additional Subspecies Provides New Insights into the Historical Biogeography of the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx.

Previous molecular studies of the wide-ranging Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx focused mainly on its northern Palearctic populations, with the consequence that the reconstruction of this species' evolutionary history did not include genetic variation present in its southern Palearctic distribution. We sampled a previously not considered Asian subspecies (L. l. dinniki), added published data from another Asian subspecies (L. l. isabellinus), and reassessed the Eurasian lynx mtDNA phylogeny along with previously published data from northern Palearctic populations. Our mitogenome-based analyses revealed the existence of three major clades (A: Central Asia, B: SE Europe/SW Asia, C: Europe and Northern Asia) and at least five lineages, with diversification in Lynx lynx commencing at least 28kyr earlier than hitherto estimated. The subspecies L. l. isabellinus harbors the most basal matriline, consistent with the origin of Lynx lynx in this subspecies' current range. L. l. dinniki harbors the second most basal matriline, which is related to, and may be the source of, the mtDNA diversity of the critically endangered Balkan lynx L. l. balcanicus. Our results suggest that the Anatolian peninsula was a glacial refugium for Eurasian lynx, with previously unconsidered implications for the colonization of Europe by this species

The Journal of Apicultural Research welcomes the publication of research findings from around the globe

The Journal of Apicultural Research (JAR) is a peer-reviewed, scientific journal dedicated to examining and publishing the latest research on bees from around the world. JAR publishes many different types of articles to reach different international audiences, from career scientists to students and well-informed beekeepers. These comprise original, theoretical, and experimental research papers, as well as authoritative notes, comments, and reviews on scientific aspects of all types of bees (superfamily Apoidea). As of 2021, JAR has an Impact Factor of 2.407 and is ranked 33rd out of 100 in the Entomology category (© InCites Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics, 2022). Five regular issues are published per year and special issues are added when timely topics arise, the latest being a special issue on stingless bees (2022) and review papers (2023). In the last decade, COLOSS BEEBOOK chapters are published in JAR. These open-access chapters are a collection of the Standard Methods used in honey bee research, including the study of parasites, pests, and hive products. They are a primary reference resource for bee researchers across the globe and facilitate new projects that might not otherwise be undertaken by laboratories that are new to apidology (236,516 downloads - Taylor & Francis 3,028 citations - Web of Science, 2022). The Journal of Apicultural Research was founded by the International Bee Research Association (IBRA) in 1962. The very first issue included a Note from the first Editors, Dr. Eva Crane & Dr. James Simpson, who introduced JAR as a new opportunity for publication: “The journal will cover all aspects of bees, Apis and non-Apis, and substances used or produced by them, their pollinating activities, and organisms causing diseases or injuries to them.” Since the first issue, this legacy has been maintained in more than 2,800 scientific articles, co-authored by some 1,900 researchers, published so far in JAR, making our journal a key forum for the international exchange of scientific data in apidology. We encourage colleagues from around the globe to continue to participate in sharing their research with the scientific community by publishing in JAR.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A worldwide survey of genome sequence variation provides insight into the evolutionary history of the honeybee Apis mellifera

The honeybee Apis mellifera has major ecological and economic importance. We analyze patterns of genetic variation at 8.3 million SNPs, identified by sequencing 140 honeybee genomes from a worldwide sample of 14 populations at a combined total depth of 634×. These data provide insight into the evolutionary history and genetic basis of local adaptation in this species. We find evidence that population sizes have fluctuated greatly, mirroring historical fluctuations in climate, although contemporary populations have high genetic diversity, indicating the absence of domestication bottlenecks. Levels of genetic variation are strongly shaped by natural selection and are highly correlated with patterns of gene expression and DNA methylation. We identify genomic signatures of local adaptation, which are enriched in genes expressed in workers and in immune system– and sperm motility–related genes that might underlie geographic variation in reproduction, dispersal and disease resistance. This study provides a framework for future investigations into responses to pathogens and climate change in honeybees.Swedish Research Council Formas (grant 2010-1295).http://www.nature.comhb201

Authoritative subspecies diagnosis tool for European honey bees based on ancestryinformative SNPs

Background With numerous endemic subspecies representing four of its five evolutionary lineages, Europe holds a large fraction of Apis mellifera genetic diversity. This diversity and the natural distribution range have been altered by anthropogenic factors. The conservation of this natural heritage relies on the availability of accurate tools for subspecies diagnosis. Based on pool-sequence data from 2145 worker bees representing 22 populations sampled across Europe, we employed two highly discriminative approaches (PCA and F-ST) to select the most informative SNPs for ancestry inference. Results Using a supervised machine learning (ML) approach and a set of 3896 genotyped individuals, we could show that the 4094 selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) provide an accurate prediction of ancestry inference in European honey bees. The best ML model was Linear Support Vector Classifier (Linear SVC) which correctly assigned most individuals to one of the 14 subspecies or different genetic origins with a mean accuracy of 96.2% +/- 0.8 SD. A total of 3.8% of test individuals were misclassified, most probably due to limited differentiation between the subspecies caused by close geographical proximity, or human interference of genetic integrity of reference subspecies, or a combination thereof. Conclusions The diagnostic tool presented here will contribute to a sustainable conservation and support breeding activities in order to preserve the genetic heritage of European honey bees.The SmartBees project was funded by the European Commission under its FP7 KBBE programme (2013.1.3-02, SmartBees Grant Agreement number 613960) https://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7.MP was supported by a Basque Government grant (IT1233-19). The funders provided the financial support to the research, but had no role in the design of the study, analysis, interpretations of data and in writing the manuscript

A review on mass honey bee losses in united states and colony collapse disorder (CCD)

Bu derlemede son günlerde medyayı son derece meşgul eden ve arıcılar arasında tedirginlik yaratan koloni çökme bozukluğu derinlemesine incelenmektedir. Hastalığın ortaya çıkması, özellikle ABD’de konu ile ilgili araştırmalar ve gelişmeler, hastalığa yol açan etmenler, öngörüler ve yapılması gerekenler özetlenerek aktarılmaktadır. ABD dışındaki ülkelerde ve Türkiye’de söz konusu hastalık ve durumun tartışılıp ülkemiz arıcılarının bilgilendirilmesi ve tavsiyelerde bulunulması amaç edinilmiştir.In late 2006, the drop in the U.S. honeybee population began and some beekeepers began reporting unexplained losses of 30 to 90 percent in honey bee colonies. The cause of the honeybee loss is not yet well understood and its existence remains unclear. Theories include environmental change-related stresses, malnutrition, unknown pathogens, mites, pesticides, disease, or low genetical diversity. Until the cause is found, the syndrome is called "Colony Collapse Disorder" which threatens US agriculture. In the United States, honeybee pollination activities are estimated to add about $15- billion a year in value to crops, especially almonds, berries and other fruits and vegetables. Congressional committee warned that lower crop yields and higher prices could result if a way is not found to combat CCD. In order to find the cause of CCD, several laboratories in different universities, army and Bee Alert Technology were asked beekeepers’s assistance in reporting instances of honey bee CCD. Thus beekeepers were involved in the National Bee Loss Survey and the preliminary results showed that the CCD is widespread in 23 states of the USA. Besides USA, Canada and parts of Europe are also experiencing unexplained honeybee losses, but they do not know if it is part of the same phenomenon. After looking at the differences between colonies showing CCD and disease free colonies from Florida, the CCD working group detected two new viruses that could be attributable to unknown honey bee losses. Although very preliminary, the results indicate that the method used was rapid, inexpensive, and has potential as a preliminary screen for unknown viruses. The status of mass honey bee losses in Turkey is not yet known. Although some beekeepers reported the presence of honey bee losses, the causes of these losses are not determined whether they are due to CCD or not

Genetic and morphometric variation in honeybee populations (Apis mellifera L.) in Turkey

Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra