Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Graguated Student (MS), Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
2 Mahdi Mokhber: Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Science, Urmia university, Urmia, Iran.
3 Associated Professor, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
Abstract
Honeybee (Apis mellifera) rank among ecologically significant insects, providing critical pollination services that maintain ecosystem stability. These pollination services substantially enhance global food security and contribute to agricultural economics. Consequently, optimizing beekeeping practices and enhancing colony productivity remain key research priorities. We investigated polymorphisms in the tyrmine receptor gene (AmTYR1) and their potential association with pollen- foraging performance in 125 honey bee colonies. This study recorded the pollen production of 125 honeybee colonies with high genetic diversity (derived from different queens) in an apiary located in Urmia County over five consecutive weeks (July to early August 2024) using standard pollen traps and a digital scale. Three to four pupal per colony were collected from the monitored colonies for genetic analysis. Pupal samples were preserved in 70% ethanol and subsequently flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen for homogenization. Genomic DNA was isolated using a modified CTAB protocol. A 526-bp fragment of AmTYR1 was PCR- amplified, with polymorphism screening performed via single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) electrophorsis on 12% poacrylamide-gels. The mean pollen collected per session was 51.59 grams (range: 5–201 grams), highlighting significant functional diversity in pollen-foraging performance. While obtaining high-quality DNA from honey bee larvae presented technical challenges, we successfully optimized the extraction protocol. Target loci demonstrated robust amplication, and SSCP analysis showed consistent detection sensitivity. SSCP profiling revealed monomorphisms at the examined AmTYR1 locus across all Iranian Apis mellifera samples. This monomorphism may reflect population-specific genetic conservation or intrinsic stability of examined locus.
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