Data from: Genetic differentiation in the stingless bee, Scaptotrigona xanthotricha Moure, 1950 (Apidae, Meliponini): a species with wide geographic distribution in the Atlantic rainforest

Stingless bees are important pollinators that are severely threatened by anthropic interference, resulting in a strong population decline. Scaptotrigona xanthotricha has a wide distribution in the Atlantic Rainforest, ranging from the northeastern state of Bahia to Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. To understand the genetic structure of S. xanthotricha, 12 species-specific microsatellite loci were analyzed in 42 colonies sampled throughout the species range. The results indicated 5 distinct clusters throughout the sampled area with high rates of genetic diversity, and the greatest diversity was found in southern Bahia. Greater differentiation was observed between samples from the extremes of the distribution, with an F ST value of 0.189 between cluster 1 and 5. The genetic differentiation analysis for all loci had an F ST value of 0.113, a result that is consistent with the analysis of molecular variance, which revealed 7.72% of the variation occurring between groups. The Mantel correlation between a genetic differentiation matrix and a geographic distance matrix (r = 0.184, P = 0.043) indicated a tendency toward increased differentiation with increased distance. This study revealed the profile of differentiation and distribution of genetic diversity in this species and indicates parameters that should be considered in future taxonomic revisions and activities for its management and conservation.

无刺蜂是一类重要的传粉昆虫，却正遭受人为干扰的严重威胁，进而引发种群规模的显著衰退。黄毛盾刺无刺蜂（Scaptotrigona xanthotricha）在巴西大西洋森林（Atlantic Rainforest）中分布广泛，其分布范围从东北部的巴伊亚州一直延伸至巴西南部的圣卡塔琳娜州。为解析该物种的种群遗传结构，本研究对其整个分布范围内采集的42个蜂群，开展了12个物种特异性微卫星位点（microsatellite loci）的分析。研究结果显示，采样区域内存在5个遗传分化显著的类群，整体遗传多样性水平较高，其中以南巴伊亚地区的遗传多样性最为丰富。分布范围两端的采样样本间遗传分化程度更高，类群1与类群5之间的遗传分化系数（FST）为0.189。基于所有位点的整体遗传分化分析显示，FST值为0.113，这一结果与分子方差分析（analysis of molecular variance, AMOVA）的结果一致——该分析揭示出7.72%的遗传变异来源于类群间。遗传分化矩阵与地理距离矩阵的曼特尔相关分析结果为r=0.184，P=0.043，表明遗传分化程度随地理距离增加而升高的趋势显著。本研究阐明了该物种的遗传分化模式与遗传多样性分布特征，可为后续的分类修订、种群管理与保护工作提供需参考的关键参数。