resumo
- The Azores archipelago has been the stage for multiple introductions of Apis mellifera from varying origins, which have led to widespread admixture and the existence of phenotypically and genotypically heterogeneous populations. This is evident on the São Miguel Island, where the historically introduced black phenotype of A. m. iberiensis (lineage M) co-exists with the contemporaneously introduced yellow phenotype of C-lineage ancestry. Interestingly, the cytonuclear markers used herein revealed that C-lineage ancestry is residual at the nuclear level for both the black (5.82 ± 1.66%) and yellow (5.91 ± 1.85%) phenotypes, although this is more pronounced at the mitochondrial level (27.27% for black and 14.74% for yellow). While the C-lineage contribution has remained stable at the nuclear level for over 20 years, there has been a recent decrease in the proportion of C-derived mitotypes.