Glacial Bumblebee Population Discovered on Wrangel Island

Glacial Bumblebee Population Discovered on Wrangel Island
Glacial Bumblebee Population Discovered on Wrangel Island
Anonim

Arkhangelsk scientists have identified bumblebees living on Wrangel Island (the eastern sector of the Asian Arctic) by decoding part of their genome. The analysis showed that this is Bombus glacialis (glacial bumblebee), the population of which was previously discovered on Novaya Zemlya and was considered the only one on the planet. The discovery is published in Polar Biology.

The glacial bumblebee inhabiting the Novaya Zemlya archipelago was first described in 1902. However, for a long time it presented a mystery to entomologists, since it was unclear whether it was a new species or a different color subspecies (island race) of the bumblebee Bombus lapponicus widespread on the mainland. Scientists from the Federal Research Center for the Comprehensive Study of the Arctic of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Northern (Arctic) Federal University (Arkhangelsk) managed to find a glacial bumblebee on the Southern Island of Novaya Zemlya. In 2017, his genome was decoded. DNA analysis confirmed it was Bombus glacialis.

Now a similar find on the territory of the Wrangel Island reserve, located 3,600 km from Novaya Zemlya, was made by the head of the entomology department of the Moscow Zoo, Mikhail Berezin, who handed over the collected samples to biologists of the FITSKIA UB RAS.

- Based on the results of genetic analysis, during which several nuclear and mitochondrial genes were deciphered, we came to the conclusion that the Wrangel bumblebee is a separate population of Bombus glacialis. It is isolated from Novaya Zemlya not only geographically and genetically, but also morphologically,”explained Ivan Bolotov, Director of the FITSKIA UB RAS, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

- Bumblebees from Novaya Zemlya and from Wrangel Island have slight differences in color. At Wrangel's, some parts of the abdomen and chest are lighter, - notes the leading researcher of the laboratory of subarctic forest ecosystems FITSKIA UB RAS, young Arkhangelsk scientist Grigory Potapov. - Based on genetic differences and geographic isolation, we have identified the Wrangel glacialis population as a separate subspecies.

The open subspecies was named in memory of Marina Vladimirovna Podbolotskaya (Bombus glacialis marinae ssp), a teacher of zoology at the Pomor State University (now NArFU).

Scientists note: the glacial bumblebee is unique. It is genetically different from all mainland species. It is assumed that in earlier geological epochs, the cold-loving Bombus glacialis occupied a wide area on the drained territory of the present Arctic shelf. Warming, which caused a rise in the level of the World Ocean, isolated the populations on Novaya Zemlya and Wrangel Island. According to Ivan Bolotov, the two populations could have diverged during the warm interglacial period about 270 thousand years ago.

Wrangel Island is a large part of Beringia - an ancient bridge connecting Asia and North America, along which fauna moved. A large number of endemic species have survived there, which indicates that there was no continuous glaciation on the island.

The number of bumblebees on Wrangel Island is estimated to be higher than on Novaya Zemlya, which is characterized by more severe natural conditions, and the area of distribution is wider. On Novaya Zemlya, the glacial bumblebee has a small number of plants for collecting nectar and pollen, while on Wrangel Island the flora is much richer. Mainly at the expense of legumes: astragalus, kopeck, ostrich (according to the concept of the Soviet entomologist Dmitry Panfilov, the range of bumblebees in the Arctic is not limited by the climate, but by the distribution of legumes).

The published article details the biology of Bombus glacialis marinae ssp. On Wrangel Island, there is a certain relationship between bumblebees and lemmings: insects use rodent minks to build their nests. Natural enemies of bumblebees are arctic foxes and skuas. Also, scientists note on Wrangel Island a rich parasitic fauna - a high degree of infection of bumblebees and their nests with various types of ticks and nematodes.

Biologists emphasize that Bombus glacialis is one of the few endemic species characteristic only of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, and with an extremely narrow range. Global warming and the development of mineral deposits can disrupt habitat conditions and lead to the death of this vulnerable species. Scientists consider it necessary to conduct appropriate monitoring on Novaya Zemlya and Wrangel Island and intend to apply for the inclusion of the glacial bumblebee in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

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