Phylogeography of Partamona rustica (Hymenoptera, Apidae), an Endemic Stingless Bee from the Neotropical Dry Forest Diagonal

PLoS One. 2016 Oct 10;11(10):e0164441. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164441. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

The South America encompasses the highest levels of biodiversity found anywhere in the world and its rich biota is distributed among many different biogeographical regions. However, many regions of South America are still poorly studied, including its xeric environments, such as the threatened Caatinga and Cerrado phytogeographical domains. In particular, the effects of Quaternary climatic events on the demography of endemic species from xeric habitats are poorly understood. The present study uses an integrative approach to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Partamona rustica, an endemic stingless bee from dry forest diagonal in Brazil, in a spatial-temporal framework. In this sense, we sequenced four mitochondrial genes and genotyped eight microsatellite loci. Our results identified two population groups: one to the west and the other to the east of the São Francisco River Valley (SFRV). These groups split in the late Pleistocene, and the Approximate Bayesian Computation approach and phylogenetic reconstruction indicated that P. rustica originated in the west of the SFRV, subsequently colonising eastern region. Our tests of migration detected reduced gene flow between these groups. Finally, our results also indicated that the inferences both from the genetic data analyses and from the spatial distribution modelling are compatible with historical demographic stability.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bees / physiology*
  • Brazil
  • Forests
  • Microsatellite Repeats*
  • Models, Biological*
  • Phylogeography

Grants and funding

Funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP (Project Number: 2012/23342-1) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP (Project Number: 2011/21501-2).