Atsalek Rattanawannee

Morphometric and genetic variation of small dwarf honeybees Apis andreniformis Smith, 1858 in Thailand

The small dwarf honey bee, Apis andreniformis, is a rare and patchily distributed Apis spp. and is one of the native Thai honey bees, yet little is known about its biodiversity. Thirty (27 Thai and 3 Malaysian) and 37 (32 Thai and 5 Malaysian) colonies of A. andreniformis were sampled for morphometric and genetic analysis, respectively. For morphometric analysis, 20 informative characters were used to determine the variation. After plotting the factor scores, A. andreniformis from across Thailand were found to belong to one group, a notion further supported by a cluster analysis generated dendrogram. However, clinal patterns in groups of bee morphometric characters were revealed by linear regression analysis. The body size of bees increases from South to North but decreases from West to East, although this may reflect altitude rather than longitude. Genetic variation was determined by sequence analysis of a 520 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit b (cytb). DNA polymorphism among bees from the mainland of Thailand is lower than that from Phuket Island and Chiang Mai. Although two main different groups of bees were obtained from phylogenetic trees constructed by neighbor‐joining and unweighted pair‐group method using arithmetic averages programs, no clear geographic signal was present. Thus, while the minor group (B) contained all of the samples from the only island sampled (Phuket in the south), but not the southern mainland colonies, it also contained samples from the far northern inland region of Chiang Mai, other samples of which were firmly rooted in the major group (A).

Gender and species identification of four native honey bees (Apidae: Apis) in Thailand based on wing morphometic analysis.

ABSTRACT Morphometrics is a relatively powerful analytical tool for the identification of distinct species and subspecies of bees. Typically, within honey bees (Apidae: Apis), morphometric analysis has been used to differentiate the groups and species by using multiple body characteristics. However, these procedures are time-consuming for the suitable preparation of the samples and orientating each part into the correct plane for accurate measurement. Here, we were able to discriminate four honey bee species based on their wing venation pattern information only. Geometric morphometric measurements of the right forewing of drones and workers of Apis andreniformis Smith, Apis cerana F., Apis dorsata F., and Apis florea F. were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the patterns of forewing venation of native Thai honey bees between sexes in the same species were more closely related to each other than to honey bees of the same sex in another species. The wing venation pattern carried sufficient information to discriminate 99% of the individuals, and so the geometric morphometric analysis of the wing alone could be used to identify Asian honey bee species in most circumstances. In addition, the sex of the individual did not obstruct identification. Therefore, morphometric analysis of a single wing might be a useful tool for biodiversity studies of bees and other insects or fossil records. Many insect fossils are only known from a wing, including several fossil honey bees.

Genetic structure of a giant honey bee (Apis dorsata) population in northern Thailand: implications for conservation

Abstract.  1. The giant honey bee, Apis dorsata, is a keystone pollinator. The species is heavily hunted throughout Thailand. Furthermore, forest clearing, widespread use of pesticides and proliferation of street lighting (which attracts bees, often resulting in their death) are likely to have significant impacts on population viability.

Preliminary Screening for Various Bioactivities in Honey and Propolis Extracts from Thai Bees

Aims: Honey and propolis have long been used in traditional medicine whilst honey is consumed as food. A screening for various bioactivities in honey from Apis florea and A. andreniformis , and the crude water and ethanol extracts of propolis from A. mellifera and Tetragonula laeviceps , from Thailand are reported. Study Design: Cell based study.

How does a swarm of the giant Asian honeybee Apis dorsata reach consensus? A study of the individual behaviour of scout bees

The last few years have seen a renewed interest in the mechanisms behind nest-site selection in honeybees. Most studies have focused on the cavity-nesting honeybee Apis mellifera, but more recently studies have included the open-nesting A. florea. Amongst species comparisons are important if we want to understand how the process has been adapted over evolutionary time to suit the particular species’ nest-site requirement. Here, we describe the behaviour of scout bees of the giant Asian honeybee A. dorsata on three artificially created swarms to determine the mechanisms used to collectively decide on a location to move to, either in the same environment (nest-site selection) or somewhere further afield (migration). In all swarms, scouts’ dances converged on a general direction prior to lift-off and this direction corresponded to the direction that swarms flew. Scouts from one swarm danced for sites that were far away. These dances did not converge onto a specific distance, implying they were migration dances. Dances for different sites differed in the number of circuits per dance suggesting that A. dorsata scouts make an assessment of site quality. Similarly to A. florea, but in contrast to A. mellifera, A. dorsata scouts did not reduce dance duration after repeated returns from scouting flights. We found that many scouts that dance for a non-preferred location changed dance location during the decision-making process after following dances for the consensus direction. We conclude that the consensus-building process of A. dorsata swarms relies on the interaction of scout bees on the swarm.

Genetic Structure of the Aphis craccivora (Hemiptera: Aphididae) From Thailand Inferred From Mitochondrial COI Gene Sequence

Abstract The cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the most destructive insect pests of legume plants worldwide. Although outbreaks of this pest occur annually in Thailand causing heavy damage, its genetic structure and demographic history are poorly understood. In order to determine genetic structure and genetic relationship of the geographic populations of this species, we examined sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of 51 individuals collected from 32 localities throughout Thailand. Within the sequences of these geographic populations, 32 polymorphic sites defined 17 haplotypes, ranging in sequence divergence from 0.2% (1 nucleotide) to 2.7% (16 nucleotides). A relatively high haplotype diversity but low nucleotide diversity was detected in the populations of A. craccivora, a finding that is typical for migratory species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a weak phylogeographic structuring among the geographic populations and among the haplotypes, indicating their close relationship. Considering the distance between the sampling sites, the occurrence of identical haplotypes over wide areas is noteworthy. Moreover, the low genetic distance (FST ranging from −0.0460 to 0.3263) and high rate of per-generation female migration (Nm ranging from 1.0323 to 20.3333) suggested population exchange and gene flow between the A. craccivora populations in Thailand.

No evidence that habitat disturbance affects mating frequency in the giant honey bee Apis dorsata

The giant honey bee (Apis dorsata) is a keystone pollinator within Asian lowland forests. Across its range, A. dorsata populations are impacted by heavy hunting pressure and habitat disturbance. These pressures have the potential to significantly impact the genetic structure of populations, particularly the ability of queens to find a large number of genetically diverse drones for mating. Here, we compare queen mating frequency and allelic diversity between colonies sampled in disturbed and undisturbed areas in Thailand. Microsatellite analysis of 18 colonies in 6 aggregations showed no significant difference in paternity frequency at disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Measures of FST and genetic differentiation between aggregations were not significantly different from zero (P > 0.05); measures of allelic diversity showed no differences between disturbed and undisturbed sites, and there was no evidence of population structuring based on the program STRUCTURE. Our findings suggest, surprisingly, that habitat disturbance has no effect on the mating frequency, genetic diversity, or population connectedness. This suggests that the mating behavior of A. dorsata is robust to anthropogenic changes to the landscape.

Mitochondrial sequencing and geometric morphometrics suggest two clades in the Tetragonilla collina (Apidae: Meliponini) population of Thailand

The stingless bee Tetragonilla collina Smith, 1857, is broadly distributed across Indochina. In this study, we use a combination of molecular and geometric morphometric analyses to quantify the genetic structure and diversity of the T. collina population of Thailand. We found striking regional differences in both mitochondrial haplotype frequencies and morphology. A Bayesian analyses of molecular diversity of the mitochondrial COI region revealed two clades, roughly divided into the population northeast of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (clade A) and the western and Thai-Malay Peninsula population (clade B). In addition, morphometric analysis showed that bees in clade A have significantly larger wings than bees from clade B. These results suggest that the T. collina population of Thailand is divided into two distinct populations. The spatial distributions seem to reflect contemporary ecological features such as annual flooding (bees of clade B are absent from areas subject to inundation), rather than past biogeography. Thus, T. collina differs from the honey bees Apis dorsata and A. cerana that show genetic differentiation north and south of the Isthmus of Kra, perhaps reflective of past separation during the Pleistocene when sea levels were much higher.

Bee Diversity in Thailand and the Applications of Bee Products

This chapter provides information on honey bees (genus Apis) and their reasonably close relative group, the stingless bees within the Meliponini Tribe. Their taxonomic position, common morphology and behaviour are defined and explained. Also, a species identification of the four native Thai honey bee species, including the comb and nest structure, worker morphology, species distribution and description of each species behaviour, is summarized. Beyond their role as pollinators, honey bees and stingless bees have important economic, ecological and social values for many rural people in Asia. Especially, wild honey bees are hunted for their products (honey, brood and wax), providing many people with a useful component of household income. Therefore, the applications of bee products, which are important for many rural people in Asia including Thailand, are briefly outlined.