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Letters to Nature

Nature 349, 782-784 (28 February 1991) | doi:10.1038/349782a0; Received 10 October 1990; Accepted 3 January 1991

Gene flow between African- and European-derived honey bee populations in Argentina

Walter S. Sheppard*, Thomas E. Rinderer†, Julio A. Mazzoli‡, J. Anthony Stelzer† & Hachiro Shimanuki*

  1. * Bee Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Building 476, BARC-E, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705, USA
  2. † Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 1157 Ben Hur Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70820, USA
  3. ‡ Catedra de Genética, Facultad de Agronomia, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1417 Buenos Aires, Argentina
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IN the Neotropics, introduced European honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)1,2 have been largely supplanted by bees descended from an African race, A. m. scutellata Lepetier, which were introduced into Brazil in the 1950s. Recent restriction enzyme analyses indicate that mitochondrial DNA in some neotropical populations is almost entirely of African origin3,4, and these data have been cited as evidence for asymmetrical gene flow between African- and European-derived populations3,4. Evaluation of the nature of hybridization in the Neotropics is, however, confounded by possible population size advantages for the African-derived group5–7. As an alternative approach, genetic interactions can be studied in transition areas between zones ecologically and climatically adaptive for both racial groups. We describe here results of a survey transecting regions populated by African- and European-derived honey bees in Argentina. Mitochondrial DNA, morphological and isoenzyme analyses show that substantial hybridization occurs between the two racial groups.