Natural clines and human management impact the genetic structure of Algerian honey bee populations.

The differences between the two main genetic clusters suggest differential breeding management between eastern and western Algeria, with greater exchange of genetic material over long distances in the east. The lack of detected admixture events suggests that, unlike what is seen in many places worldwide, imports of queens from foreign countries do not seem to have occurred on a large scale in Algeria, a finding that is relevant for conservation purposes. In addition, the proposed panel of 96 markers was found effective to distinguish Algerian from European honey bees. Therefore, we conclude that applying this approach to other taxa is promising, in particular when genetic differentiation is difficult to capture.