Genetic differentiation among geographic groups of three honeybee species, Apis cerana, A. koschevnikovi and A. dorsata, in Borneo

Abstract

We sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (COl) gene of three honeybee species of Borneo, Apis cerana, A. koschevnikovi and A. dorsata, and carried out phylogenetic analyses considering geographic genetic variation. We also compared the sequence divergence-geographic distance relationships among the three species. Estimated genetic differentiation was an order of magnitude larger in A. koschevnikovi than in A. cerana and A. dorsata. Migratory nesting behavior and cold tolerance of each honeybee, and the paleoclimate of the Southeast Asian tropics, are discussed as factors that produced these characteristics for mitochondrial genetic markers, and conservation prioritie sare recommended.