Geographical Variation of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L. 1758) Populations in South-Eastern Morocco: A Geometric Morphometric Analysis

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Western honey bees are of high importance to human food security as they provide valuable contributions through pollination. Unfortunately, high levels of honey bee colony losses have been registered around the world recently. One of the major reasons for these losses is the hybridization with non-native subspecies which leads to the loss of adaptation to local climatic conditions. In fact, it is proven that honey bee subspecies that are native to a certain area subsist better than imported ones. In this study, we investigate the conservation status and the geographic variation of four populations of Apis mellifera sahariensis in south-eastern Morocco using the geometric morphometric approach. The results obtained have indicated that our samples were significantly different from the two subspecies used as reference (Apis mellifera sahariensis, Apis mellifera intermissa) which could be explained by a hybridization phenomenon occurring in the study area. The four populations studied were significantly different in terms of wing shape. These differences were mainly due to the fragmented distribution of the study area. Results of this study can be used in the planning of future strategies for the conservation of the Saharan honey bee in Morocco. ABSTRACT: In Morocco, there are two well-recognised honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) subspecies: A. m. intermissa in the north and A. m. sahariensis in the south-east. The latter subspecies is found in the arid and semiarid climates of the Sahara Desert. In this study, we used honey bees from four areas of south-eastern Morocco which are, to some degree, isolated by arid zones. We analysed the shape and size of the forewings, using the method of geometric morphometrics. The bees from the four areas of south-eastern Morocco differed significantly in terms of wing shape. Moreover, bees from traditional hives were smaller than those from modern hives. The bees from south-eastern Morocco were clearly different from the reference samples obtained from the Morphometric Bee Data Bank in Oberursel, Germany, representing most of the global variation in honey bees. Surprisingly, the bees were also different from A. m. sahariensis, which should occur in the study area, according to earlier studies. This difference could have been caused by introgression with non-native subspecies imported by beekeepers. The distinct honey bees from south-eastern Morocco deserve to be protected. We provide a method for identifying them, which can help protect them.