Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
06:03
A Push-pull Protocol to Reduce Colonization of Bird Nest Boxes by Honey Bees
Published on: September 4, 2016
8.0K
Reproductive interference between honeybee species in artificial sympatry
Emily J Remnant1, Anna Koetz, Ken Tan
1Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences A12, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
Molecular Ecology
|January 22, 2014
Summary
Interspecific mating between Western (Apis mellifera) and Eastern (Apis cerana) honeybees can reduce population viability. Hybrid offspring are inviable, indicating reproductive interference where these species coexist.
Area of Science:
- Zoology
- Ecology
- Genetics
Background:
- Closely related species often exhibit incomplete reproductive isolation.
- Western (Apis mellifera) and Eastern (Apis cerana) honeybees, despite millions of years of allopatry, show morphological and behavioral similarities.
- Anthropogenic introduction has brought these important pollinators into sympatry, creating opportunities for interspecific mating.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mating behavior of Apis mellifera and Apis cerana in sympatric populations.
- To determine the extent of interspecific mating and its potential impact on honeybee population viability.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of spermathecal contents of queens using species-specific genetic markers.
- Examination of drone mating flight time overlaps.
- Artificial insemination experiments to assess hybrid embryo viability.
Main Results:
- Drone mating flight times overlap in both Caoba Basin, China and Cairns, Australia.
- In Caoba Basin, 14% of Apis mellifera queens mated with Apis cerana males; no Apis cerana queens mated with Apis mellifera males.
- In Cairns, one-third of Apis mellifera queens mated with Apis cerana males; no Apis cerana queens carried Apis mellifera sperm.
- No hybrid embryos were detected in naturally interspecifically mated Apis mellifera queens.
- Artificially inseminated Apis mellifera queens with Apis cerana sperm produced inviable hybrid eggs or unfertilized drones.
Conclusions:
- Reproductive interference occurs between Apis mellifera and Apis cerana where they are in contact.
- Interspecific matings, even without viable hybrid offspring, can negatively impact the viability of both Apis mellifera and Apis cerana populations.
Related Concept Videos
01:17What is a Species?
41.4K
Overview
41.4K
02:29Hybrid Zones
16.3K
Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.
16.3K
02:16Genetics of Speciation
19.0K
Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.
19.0K
01:31Formation of Species
36.9K
Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.
36.9K
01:21Frequency-dependent Selection
20.1K
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
20.1K
00:57Inclusive Fitness
23.6K
Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.
23.6K