A Study of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera L. 1758) Population in Some Regions in Northwest Iran Using the Geometric Morphometric Method

Abstract

The honey bee is one of the most economically important insect species due to its crucial role in the pollination of agricultural and non-agricultural plants, as well as its direct product contributions. The western honey bee, Apis mellifera, now considered a cosmopolitan species due to its widespread distribution by humans, originated in Africa, Europe, and West Asia. This study aimed to evaluate the diversity of this bee in parts of northwest Iran. Worker bees were collected from six study stations in West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan provinces and assessed using the geometric morphometric method. Changes in the size and shape of the forewings and hindwings were investigated using 16 homologous landmarks at the bifurcation of the wings. Regarding the size of the forewings and hindwings, the Chahar Borj population of West Azerbaijan had the largest, while the Malekan population of East Azerbaijan had the smallest wings. Significant differences were observed between all the study stations of East Azerbaijan and those of West Azerbaijan. In terms of forewing shape, significant differences were found in all pairwise comparisons except between the populations of Sahand Mountain and Kordeh Deh village. However, for the hindwing, significant differences were observed in only three pairwise comparisons. Additionally, the regression analysis revealed that, unlike the hindwing, changes in the forewing's size and shape are interdependent, with allometry also being observed. This study demonstrates that despite the geographical proximity of the study stations, significant diversity exists in the bee populations. © The Author(s).