Mitochondrial DNA Genetic Variation of Feral and Managed Honey Bee, Apis mellifera , Colonies from Oklahoma.

Understanding the genetic diversity of honey bees in North America provides valuable insight into the conservation, ecology, and evolution of this economically important insect. Here, we characterized the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic variation in populations of the honey bee, Apis mellifera L., in Oklahoma by sequencing a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase (COI-COII) intergenic region. The samples were primarily of feral origin (n = 164), as well as from 24 managed colonies. Samples were obtained from 50 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, which represented six distinct ecoregions. Of the 188 colonies sampled,19 distinct haplotypes were observed, which included: A (African) (4 haplotypes, n=56, 29.8%), A (sublineage Z) (1 haplotype, n=8, 4.3%); C (South Eastern European) (10 haplotypes, n=118, 62.8%); and M (Northern and Western European) (4 haplotypes, n=6, 3.2%). Six C lineage haplotypes were predominantly detected (n=111, 59.0%), which are all common in the commercial queen breeder colonies in the United States. Of the 19 haplotypes observed, 15 were identified from the 164 feral samples, while four were found from the 24 managed colonies. The remaining 77 colony samples represented 13 haplotypes, which are all absent from the commercial queen breeder colonies but have been observed in feral honey bee populations collected in other states. Levels of nucleotide genetic diversity were three times higher in the feral honey bee samples compared to the samples from the managed colonies. Honey bees from the 'A' lineage were widespread across Oklahoma and were found in 29 counties. Among the Oklahoma ecological regions sampled, honey bee samples from the Great Plains Steppe and Shrub ecoregion had the highest levels of haplotype diversity, with the Great Plains Steppe ecoregion having relatively fewer. The results from this study provide evidence that Oklahoma has feral honey bee populations that are genetically different from the U.S. commercial queen breeder colonies and that the composition of the feral honey bee haplotypes can be considerably different from the managed honey bees in the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]