title: Gene variation, population differentiation, and sociogenetic structure of nests of Partamona seridoensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Meliponini).
abstract: Gene variation and the differentiation of two populations of Partamona seridoensis (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini) from the Caatinga biome, a semiarid ecosystem unique to Brazil, were estimated through allozymic and microsatellite analyses. These populations exhibited similar low degrees of enzyme gene variation. Observed genotype frequencies at the allozyme and microsatellite loci were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the two populations. Both markers demonstrated that the two populations are not genetically homogeneous and must be considered distinct populations. The occurrence of private alleles at the allozyme and microsatellite loci corroborates this differentiation, sustaining the hypothesis of a low level of interpopulation gene flow. The phenotypic segregations clearly demonstrated that the progeny inside each nest were the result of mating between the queen of the colony and only one male.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlo Rivero Moura
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Celso Feitosa
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Kátia Maria
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Del Lama
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000235:genetics*; D001938:Brazil; D005787:Gene Frequency; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes