The Western honeybees Apis mellifera carnica and A. m. ligustica are closely related subspecies living in neighbouring regions. Metabolism and the upper lethal thermal limits are crucial physiological traits, adapted in the evolutionary process to environment and climate conditions. We investigated whether samples from these two ecotypes differ in these traits. The standard metabolic rate was higher in the A. m. ligustica population only at a high temperature (Ta ~ 40 °C; dVCO2 = 12 nl s−1; P < 0.05), probably due to a higher body temperature (dTthorax = 1.5 °C; P < 0.01). The critical thermal maximum of activity and respiration was similar (difference activity CTmax = 0.8 °C, respiratory CTmax = 1.1 °C). The lethal temperature (LT50, 8h) revealed higher tolerance and survival rates of the Ligustica bees (Carnica 50.3 °C; Ligustica 51.7 °C; P < 0.02). Results reveal the adaptation of the two subspecies to their historic climate conditions, possibly favouring Ligustica in a warming environment.

中文翻译：

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Apis mellifera carnica 和 A. m. 的代谢和热上限 茯苓

西方蜜蜂 Apis mellifera carnica 和 A. m. ligustica 是生活在邻近地区的密切相关的亚种。新陈代谢和致死温度上限是重要的生理特征，在进化过程中适应环境和气候条件。我们调查了这两种生态型的样本在这些性状上是否不同。上午的标准代谢率较高。ligustica 种群仅在高温下（Ta ~ 40 °C；dVCO2 = 12 nl s−1；P < 0.05），可能是由于较高的体温（dTthorax = 1.5 °C；P < 0.01）。活动和呼吸的临界热最大值相似（差异活动 CTmax = 0.8 °C，呼吸 CTmax = 1.1 °C）。致死温度 (LT50, 8h) 表明，藿香蜂具有更高的耐受性和存活率（Carnica 50.3 °C；Ligustica 51.7 °C；P < 0.02)。结果揭示了这两个亚种对其历史气候条件的适应，这可能有利于在变暖的环境中使用 Ligustica。