Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Techniques on Honey Bee Taxonomic Studies

Abstract

Taxonomic zoology is a sub-branch of  biology that includes the rules used in the classification of animals and also benefits from many disciplines. While classical taxonomy is concerned with the analysis of characters obtained from morphology, modern taxonomic approaches use geometric morphometry, population genetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, etc. analyses and marker. According to these analyses, honey bee subspecies are grouped  in African (A), Mediterranean (M- ), Oriental (O), European, Northern Mediterranean-Middle East (C) and Yemen (Y) lines. Currently, honey bee diversiy is represented by 29 subspecies and this number is still controversial. The SEM has become as a solution of taxonomic problems of various taxa and the definition of new taxa. However, scientific studies on microdifferences in known diagnostic characters in honey bees are extremely few. In addition, it is possible to determine new morphological characters. In this view, it is possible to distinguish subspecies and/or ecotypes with a short analysis process and to define new populations using the SEM method.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the SEM morphology method in explaining honey bee biodiversity and to perform character analyses that will support classical and modern approaches in taxonomic studies.

This study is a part of master thesis of  Rana Özdemir and supported by the project “Investigation of honey bee biodiversity in Düzce province using SEM morphology”