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Towards a strategy for the conservation of the Nordic Brown Bee

This paper discusses the importance of conserving the Nordic Brown Bee, including its genetic variation, adaptation to the environment, and potential market demands. It also explores the cultural and historic significance of this bee and suggests future activities for conservation.

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Towards a strategy for the conservation of the Nordic Brown Bee

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  1. Towards a strategy for the conservation of the Nordic Brown Bee Juha Kantanen and Hans Ekström Nordic Genetic Resource Center juha.kantanen@nordgen.org Nordic-Baltic Apicultural Research Symposium NBARS 5. – 6. February 2011 Tartu Estonia

  2. NordGen • Has three sectors: Plants, Farm Animals and Forest • Is a joint Nordic institute of the Nordic Council of Ministers • Has an ex situ gene bank of plants in Alnarp, Sweden and is responsible for the operation and management of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. www.nordgen.org

  3. NordGen-Farm Animals • NordGen-Farm Animals is a coordinating unit and a competence and information centre that contributes to the conservation and sustainable utilization of farm animal genetic resources in the Nordic countries. • Projects, networking, seminars, workshops, Internet, publications • Our office is located in Aas (Ås) in Norway • NordGen Council for Farm Animal Genetic Resources www.nordgen.org

  4. Nordic Brown Bee (Dark Bee) (Apis mellifera mellifera) • 5 000 years of bee domestication (Egypt) • Bee keeping in northern Europe at least from the Iron Age • Brown bees were taken in the early 1600’s to North America • Previously an extremely wide geographic distribution • Several geographically separated subpopulations • Became replaced by other honey bee breeds, such as Buckfast, Italian and Carniolan Bee

  5. Nordic Brown Bee (Dark Bee) • Less aggressive and defensive breeds were favoured • Practical difficulties to keep brown bees • Crossings • No longer commercially significant population • Has a status as a threatened breed

  6. NordGen updated the current status • A ‘small’ questionnaire was sent to Nordic and Baltic coordinators of Animal Genetic Resource Strategies in 2010 • All Nordic countries have national strategies or action plans for in situ and ex situ conservation of animal genetic resources used for food and agriculture • Coordinating institutes: The Danish Plant Directorate, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, The Icelandic University of Agriculture, Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre, The Swedish Board of Agriculture

  7. Questionnaire

  8. Why to conserve the Nordic Brown Bee? To conserve genetic variation (diversity) and genetic resources • Base for natural selection, adaptation of a population to environment, base for artificial selection • Opportunities to meet future market demands • Insurance against future changes in production circumstances • Insurance against the loss of resources with a high strategic value

  9. Climate change and domestic animal diversity

  10. Why to conserve the Nordic Brown Bee? • Opportunities for research • Present socio-economic value • Significant winter hardiness • Better varroa mite resistance? • High longevity • Flight strength • Capable to collect in less favourable areas (heather areas)

  11. Why to conserve the Nordic Brown Bee? Cultural and historic reasons Ecological value

  12. Suggestions for future activities • A review on the current status of the Nordic Brown Bee in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The review will be based on interviews of stakeholders and literature research. • Possible in situ and ex situ conservation issues are identified and based on these conclusions a larger (at least partly) externally funded project will be promoted and a workshop organised • Genetic characterization of different geographic populations and investigating their genetic (and phenotypic) uniqueness

  13. Genetic characterization of honeybee populations • Microsatellites (locus where from 1 to 6 nucleotides are repeated 10 – 60 times along the DNA sequence) available for honeybees • Genetic divergence and clustering of populations, genetic diversity within populations: applications in conservation programs. • E.g. Chapman et al. 2008. Population genetics of commercial and feral honey bees in western Australia. J. Econ. Entomol. 101 (2): 272-277. • Bourgeois et al. 2010. Genetic stock identification of Russian honey bees. J. Econ. Entomol. 103 (3): 917-924.

  14. Molecular genetics of honeybee • The genome of the honeybee has been sequenced (2006): 236 million base pairs (bp), 10 157 genes • Has more genes for odorant receptors than other insects and novel genes for nectar and pollen utilization

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