Apiculture & Bee Biology exams (correct answers)
How is bumblebee sociality different from honey bee? correct answers queens start new
nests every spring on their own
How do stingless bees defend their colony? correct answers -Biting
-Sticking resin in nose/eyes of intruder
-Secrete acid
What is a species? correct answers A group of interbreeding individuals of common
ancestry that are reproductively isolated from other such groups. Members of a
population that form a reproductively isolated, independent evolutionary unit.
What does population divergence in Apis require? correct answers Strong isolation
(barriers to gene flow) because of extreme genetic mixing (mating system)
What are the 4 species of Apis recognized in 1980? correct answers Open-nesting:
1. Dwarf honey bee (A. florea) - Asia
2. Giant honey bee (A. dorsata) - Asia
Cavity-nesting:
3. A. mellifera (Europe & Africa)
4. Asian hive bee (A. cerana) - Asia
How many species of Apis have been described today? correct answers 8+
What are the principles of natural selection? correct answers 1. More offspring are
produced than can survive;
2. Individuals differ from each other in their ability to survive;
3. Those individuals better adapted to conditions have higher survival and/or
reproduction;
4. Over time, a population shares the traits of the more fit individuals (those genes are
passed on and become more popular in the population);
5. Once two populations have diverged sufficiently such that they no longer interbreed
successfully (viable hybrids), they are recognized as different species
What is the critical component of speciation? correct answers Reproductive isolation
and lack of gene flow between populations
Who first discovered A. nigrocincta F. Smith? correct answers Alfred Russell Wallace (in
Sulawesi)
Who was the last person to recognize A. nigrocincta as a species? correct answers T.
C. Maa in 1953
A. nigrocincta vs. A. cerana correct answers A. n.: small, dark, highly defensive - lives in
disturbed dry habitats
, A. c.: larger, gentler, yellow - lives in forests and at higher elevations
How can you prove 2 samples of of different species? correct answers 1. Morphometric
analysis
2. Genetic sequencing
3. Male genitalia
4. Behaviour
5. Hive structure
How is reproductive isolation maintained between A. nigrocincta and A. cerana when
they occupy the same area? correct answers Timing of mating flights is sufficiently
different to allow little/no overlap (queens of one would not encounter drones of the
other)
What are ring species? correct answers A distribution of interbreeding populations, each
only slightly different from its neighbouring populations, where the two populations on
either end are sufficiently different to result in reproductive isolation, even once they
return to occupy the same area.
Why did people think Apis in Sulawesi were not ring species? correct answers 1. An
ideal ring species has no breaks in the distribution between populations; Island
populations are separated by water gaps so that there is little gene flow
2. Mating system of Apis leads to high within-population similarity
How do the islands of SE Asia offer potential for population divergence? correct
answers Movement of swarms between islands (gene flow) is low, so there is a high
potential for population divergence while inhabiting separate islands.
Where did A. cerana originate? correct answers Mainland Asia
How did 2 populations of A. cerana diverge? correct answers Different dispersal routes:
1. from Malaysia through the southern islands into southern Sulawesi
2. through the Philippines to Sulawesi
To where is A. mellifera L. native? correct answers Europe and Africa
How are bees in Europe adapted to cold temperate climates (how has this habitat
shaped their behaviour)? correct answers -High honey production to survive long,
cool/cold winter;
-Not particularly defensive (not many predators)
-Do not abscond
What kinds of conditions have shaped bees from the African savannah? correct
answers -Abundance of predators
-Tropical climate
-Seasonal fluctuations
How is bumblebee sociality different from honey bee? correct answers queens start new
nests every spring on their own
How do stingless bees defend their colony? correct answers -Biting
-Sticking resin in nose/eyes of intruder
-Secrete acid
What is a species? correct answers A group of interbreeding individuals of common
ancestry that are reproductively isolated from other such groups. Members of a
population that form a reproductively isolated, independent evolutionary unit.
What does population divergence in Apis require? correct answers Strong isolation
(barriers to gene flow) because of extreme genetic mixing (mating system)
What are the 4 species of Apis recognized in 1980? correct answers Open-nesting:
1. Dwarf honey bee (A. florea) - Asia
2. Giant honey bee (A. dorsata) - Asia
Cavity-nesting:
3. A. mellifera (Europe & Africa)
4. Asian hive bee (A. cerana) - Asia
How many species of Apis have been described today? correct answers 8+
What are the principles of natural selection? correct answers 1. More offspring are
produced than can survive;
2. Individuals differ from each other in their ability to survive;
3. Those individuals better adapted to conditions have higher survival and/or
reproduction;
4. Over time, a population shares the traits of the more fit individuals (those genes are
passed on and become more popular in the population);
5. Once two populations have diverged sufficiently such that they no longer interbreed
successfully (viable hybrids), they are recognized as different species
What is the critical component of speciation? correct answers Reproductive isolation
and lack of gene flow between populations
Who first discovered A. nigrocincta F. Smith? correct answers Alfred Russell Wallace (in
Sulawesi)
Who was the last person to recognize A. nigrocincta as a species? correct answers T.
C. Maa in 1953
A. nigrocincta vs. A. cerana correct answers A. n.: small, dark, highly defensive - lives in
disturbed dry habitats
, A. c.: larger, gentler, yellow - lives in forests and at higher elevations
How can you prove 2 samples of of different species? correct answers 1. Morphometric
analysis
2. Genetic sequencing
3. Male genitalia
4. Behaviour
5. Hive structure
How is reproductive isolation maintained between A. nigrocincta and A. cerana when
they occupy the same area? correct answers Timing of mating flights is sufficiently
different to allow little/no overlap (queens of one would not encounter drones of the
other)
What are ring species? correct answers A distribution of interbreeding populations, each
only slightly different from its neighbouring populations, where the two populations on
either end are sufficiently different to result in reproductive isolation, even once they
return to occupy the same area.
Why did people think Apis in Sulawesi were not ring species? correct answers 1. An
ideal ring species has no breaks in the distribution between populations; Island
populations are separated by water gaps so that there is little gene flow
2. Mating system of Apis leads to high within-population similarity
How do the islands of SE Asia offer potential for population divergence? correct
answers Movement of swarms between islands (gene flow) is low, so there is a high
potential for population divergence while inhabiting separate islands.
Where did A. cerana originate? correct answers Mainland Asia
How did 2 populations of A. cerana diverge? correct answers Different dispersal routes:
1. from Malaysia through the southern islands into southern Sulawesi
2. through the Philippines to Sulawesi
To where is A. mellifera L. native? correct answers Europe and Africa
How are bees in Europe adapted to cold temperate climates (how has this habitat
shaped their behaviour)? correct answers -High honey production to survive long,
cool/cold winter;
-Not particularly defensive (not many predators)
-Do not abscond
What kinds of conditions have shaped bees from the African savannah? correct
answers -Abundance of predators
-Tropical climate
-Seasonal fluctuations
