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Mutation in bees. 3. Application in bee populations of a mutation rate of u = 1.6 x 10-6

Warwick Estevam Kerr

Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Largo dos Amores, 21, 65000 São Luís, MA, Brasil

ABSTRACT

An average mutation rate of 1.6 x 10 ⁶ found for six genes that determine eye color in honey bees (Apis mellifera) is within the range known from other organisms. This rate was compatible with Ne (effective population number) and n (number of xo-heteroalleles) found in four populations, i.e. the rate of mutation of xo to any of its 19 alleles was also around 1.6 x 10-6. Using this rate for four species of Meliponids whose Ne was estimated, the following n (number of xo) was found: 9.6 for Scaptotrigona postica, 15.2 for Melipona seminigra, 13.9 for Melipona quadrifasciata and 16.6 for M. compressipes, values that are within the same range as found in Apis mellifera populations. The number of genes in Apis mellifera is estimated to be 30,400.

Keywords: mutation; bee populations; mutation rate.

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