Mating frequency estimation and its importance for colony abundance analyses in eusocial pollinators: a case study of Bombus impatiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

ABSTRACT: The genus Bombus (bumble bees) includes approximately 265 species, many of which are in decline in North America and Europe. To estimate colony abundance of bumble bees in natural and agricultural habitats, sibship relationships are often reconstructed from genetic data with the assumption that colonies have 1 monandrous queen. However, some species such as the North American common eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson) can display low levels of polyandry, which may bias estimates of colony abundance based on monandrous sibship reconstructions. To accurately quantify rates of polyandry in wild and commercially mated queens of this species, we empirically estimated mating frequencies using a novel statistical model and genotypes from 730 bees. To genotype individuals, we used a high

SUBMITTER: Bird SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11646103 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature