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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Sat, 7 Jul 2018 15:26:47 -0400
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> Even more, it says that races do not make any difference, which means you have to update a lot of books that explain the distinct differences between those races.

That isn't what he says. He says the response to environment is consistent between those three: Ital, Carni, and Cyprian. I am saying there is little difference between Ital and Carni, -- especially when compared to the others which people have attempted to replace with these two. (That is: A. m. mellifera in northern Europe and the USA; various middle eastern types, like syriaca, etc.; and African types). I don't really like the term race at all, but it is correctly applied to animals. 

> Italian razza kind, species (c1300 in sense ‘descent, lineage’, with reference to a horse), group of individuals of an animal or vegetable species which are differentiated from another group of the same species by one or more characteristics which are constant and hereditary. 

In other words, to classify as a separate race or subspecies, the type must have distinct and those characters need be hereditary. Not sure color qualifies as a significant character. It is generally heritable although in bees environment affects coloration. One must be aware of phenotypic plasticity whereby a particular species behaves differently in different environments. This should not be mistaken for heritable differences, but the expression of different sets of genes in different circumstances. For more on this, see:

Distinct subspecies or phenotypic plasticity? Genetic and morphological differentiation of mountain honey bees in East Africa
Ecology and Evolution 2013; 3(10): 3204–3218

PLB

PS. the subspecies/race distinction is unresolvable. Some would combine; some would divide even further. Lumpers vs splitters.

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