Reproductive disturbance of Japanese bumblebees by the introduced European bumblebee Bombus terrestris |
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Authors: | Natsuko Ito Kondo Daisei Yamanaka Yuya Kanbe Yoko Kawate Kunitake Masahiro Yoneda Koji Tsuchida Koichi Goka |
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Institution: | (1) Population Ecology Section, Environmental Biology Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan;(2) Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan;(3) Bumblebee Section, Apiculture Department, Api Co. Ltd., 8-38 Nakano-machi, Honjo, Gifu 500-8364, Japan;(4) Invasive Alien Species Research Team, Research Center for Environmental Risk, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan;(5) Present address: Asia and Life Science Business Group, Arysta LifeScience Corporation Bio Systems, 418-404 Nishioka, Tsukuba Ibaraki, 305-0832, Japan;(6) Present address: Department of Management Science, Faculty of Management and Information Sciences, Josai International University, 1 Gumyo, Togane Chiba, 283-8555, Japan |
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Abstract: | The European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, is an invasive eusocial species whose distribution is expanding greatly beyond its native range because numerous colonies
are imported to or locally produced in non-native countries for pollination of agricultural crops. Closely related species
exist in Japan where the unrestricted import and use of B. terrestris has resulted in the establishment of wild colonies. Laboratory studies previously showed that B. terrestris and Japanese native species can copulate and produce fertilized eggs. Although these eggs do not hatch, the interspecific
mating can cause a serious reproductive disturbance to native bumblebees. In this study, we determined the frequencies of
interspecies mating between B. terrestris males and native bumblebee queens in the wild on the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu by analyzing the DNA sequences of spermatozoa
stored in spermathecae of native queens. We found that 20.2% of B. hypocrita hypocrita queens and 30.2% of B. hypocrita sapporoensis queens had spermatozoa of B. terrestris males in their spermathecae. Given that a Bombus queen generally mates only once in her life, such high frequencies of interspecific mating with B. terrestris pose serious threats to the populations of native bumblebees in Japan. |
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Keywords: | Invasive alien species Reproductive disturbance Interspecific mating Spermatheca Bombus |
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