Short-sighted evolution of virulence in parasitic honeybee workers (Apis mellifera capensis Esch.).
The short-sighted selection hypothesis for parasite virulence predicts that winners of within-host competition are poorer at transmission to new hosts. Social parasitism by self-replicating, female-producing workers occurs in the Cape honeybee Apis mellifera capensis, and colonies of other honeybee subspecies are susceptible hosts. We found high within-host virulence but low transmission rates in a clone of social parasitic A. m. capensis workers invading the neighbouring subspecies A. m. scutellata. In contrast, parasitic workers from the endemic range of A. m. capensis showed low within-host virulence but high transmission rates. This suggests a short-sighted selection scenario for the host-parasite co-evolution in the invasive range of the Cape honeybee, probably facilitated by beekeeping-assisted parasite transmission in apiaries.
Moritz
Robin F A
RF
Institut für Biologie, Molekulare Okologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany. r.moritz@zoologie.uni-halle.de
Pirk
Christian W W
CW
Hepburn
H Randall
HR
Neumann
Peter
P
D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004276:DNA, Satellite / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D012919:Social Behavior; D014774:Virulence
D004276:DNA, Satellite; D004247:DNA