Genetic Structure of Apis cerana Populations from South Korea, Vietnam and the Russian Far East Based on Microsatellite and Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphism

Simple Summary The oriental honey bee, Apis cerana, is an important pollinator of crops and natural phytocoenosis in Asia. Natural barriers in the form of forests, mountains, rivers and seas have created the prerequisites for the formation of subspecies and ecotypes of the A. cerana. We analyzed the genetic structure of A. cerana samples from the Russian Far East, Vietnam and South Korea. High haplotype diversity was found in all samples of A. cerana based on analysis of the tRNAIeu-COII locus sequences. The found polymorphisms can be used as genetic markers to differentiate subspecies of A. cerana. In this article, we present the results of the genetic analysis of Apis cerana samples from the Russian Far East, South Korea and Vietnam. An analysis of the polymorphism of seven microsatellite loci and an assessment of the haplotype diversity of the mtDNA tRNAleu-COII locus were performed. A fragment of about 431 bp in tRNAleu-COII was sequenced. The analysis showed the presence of 14 haplotypes, while the predominant haplotype was Japan1. Microsatellite data revealed two differentiated clusters. The first cluster contained tropical climate A. cerana samples from Vietnam, and the second cluster combined temperate climate A. cerana samples from the Russian Far East and South Korea.