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Bouchouireb Z, Olivier-Jimenez D, Jaunet-Lahary T, Thany SH, Le Questel JY. Navigating the complexities of docking tools with nicotinic receptors and acetylcholine binding proteins in the realm of neonicotinoids. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 281:116582. [PMID: 38905934 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Molecular docking, pivotal in predicting small-molecule ligand binding modes, struggles with accurately identifying binding conformations and affinities. This is particularly true for neonicotinoids, insecticides whose impacts on ecosystems require precise molecular interaction modeling. This study scrutinizes the effectiveness of prominent docking software (Ledock, ADFR, Autodock Vina, CDOCKER) in simulating interactions of environmental chemicals, especially neonicotinoid-like molecules with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and acetylcholine binding proteins (AChBPs). We aimed to assess the accuracy and reliability of these tools in reproducing crystallographic data, focusing on semi-flexible and flexible docking approaches. Our analysis identified Ledock as the most accurate in semi-flexible docking, while Autodock Vina with Vinardo scoring function proved most reliable. However, no software consistently excelled in both accuracy and reliability. Additionally, our evaluation revealed that none of the tools could establish a clear correlation between docking scores and experimental dissociation constants (Kd) for neonicotinoid-like compounds. In contrast, a strong correlation was found with drug-like compounds, bringing to light a bias in considered software towards pharmaceuticals, thus limiting their applicability to environmental chemicals. The comparison between semi-flexible and flexible docking revealed that the increased computational complexity of the latter did not result in enhanced accuracy. In fact, the higher computational cost of flexible docking with its lack of enhanced predictive accuracy, rendered this approach useless for this class of compounds. Conclusively, our findings emphasize the need for continued development of docking methodologies, particularly for environmental chemicals. This study not only illuminates current software capabilities but also underscores the urgency for advancements in computational molecular docking as it is a relevant tool to environmental sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Damien Olivier-Jimenez
- Leiden University Medical Center, Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden 2333ZA, Netherlands
| | | | - Steeve H Thany
- Université d'Orléans, Physiology, Ecology and Environment (P2E) laboratory USC INRAE 1328, Orléans 45067, France; Institut universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes 75005 Paris, France
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2
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Dewaele J, Barraud A, Hellström S, Paxton RJ, Michez D. A new exposure protocol adapted for wild bees reveals species-specific impacts of the sulfoximine insecticide sulfoxaflor. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2024; 33:546-559. [PMID: 38649545 PMCID: PMC11252182 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-024-02750-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Wild bees are crucial pollinators of flowering plants and concerns are rising about their decline associated with pesticide use. Interspecific variation in wild bee response to pesticide exposure is expected to be related to variation in their morphology, physiology, and ecology, though there are still important knowledge gaps in its understanding. Pesticide risk assessments have largely focussed on the Western honey bee sensitivity considering it protective enough for wild bees. Recently, guidelines for Bombus terrestris and Osmia bicornis testing have been developed but are not yet implemented at a global scale in pesticide risk assessments. Here, we developed and tested a new simplified method of pesticide exposure on wild bee species collected from the field in Belgium. Enough specimens of nine species survived in a laboratory setting and were exposed to oral and topical acute doses of a sulfoximine insecticide. Our results confirm significant variability among wild bee species. We show that Osmia cornuta is more sensitive to sulfoxaflor than B. terrestris, whereas Bombus hypnorum is less sensitive. We propose hypotheses on the mechanisms explaining interspecific variations in sensitivity to pesticides. Future pesticide risk assessments of wild bees will require further refinement of protocols for their controlled housing and exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Dewaele
- Research Institute for Biosciences, Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons (UMons), Place du Parc 20, 7000, Mons, Belgium.
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 - Evo-Eco-Paleo, F-59000, Lille, France.
| | - Alexandre Barraud
- Research Institute for Biosciences, Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons (UMons), Place du Parc 20, 7000, Mons, Belgium
- Pollinis, 10 rue Saint-Marc, 75002, Paris, France
| | - Sara Hellström
- General Zoology, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Robert J Paxton
- General Zoology, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Hoher Weg 8, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Denis Michez
- Research Institute for Biosciences, Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons (UMons), Place du Parc 20, 7000, Mons, Belgium
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3
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Bovier M, Camenzind DW, Brown AF, Jeker L, Retschnig G, Neumann P, Straub L. Colony environment and absence of brood enhance tolerance to a neonicotinoid in winter honey bee workers, Apis mellifera. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2024; 33:608-621. [PMID: 38780664 PMCID: PMC11252217 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-024-02758-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
In eusocial insects, worker longevity is essential to ensure colony survival in brood-free periods. Trade-offs between longevity and other traits may render long-living workers in brood-free periods more susceptible to pesticides compared to short-lived ones. Further, colony environment (e.g., adequate nutrition) may enable workers to better cope with pesticides, yet data comparing long vs. short-living workers and the role of the colony environment for pesticide tolerance are scarce. Here, we show that long-living honey bee workers, Apis mellifera, are less susceptible to the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam than short-lived workers, and that susceptibility was further reduced when workers were acclimatized under colony compared to laboratory conditions. Following an OECD protocol, freshly-emerged workers were exposed to thiamethoxam in summer and winter and either acclimatized within their colony or in the laboratory. Mortality and sucrose consumption were measured daily and revealed that winter workers were significantly less susceptible than summer workers, despite being exposed to higher thiamethoxam dosages due to increased food consumption. Disparencies in fat body activity, which is key for detoxification, may explain why winter bees were less susceptible. Furthermore, colony acclimatization significantly reduced susceptibility towards thiamethoxam in winter workers likely due to enhanced protein nutrition. Brood absence and colony environment seem to govern workers' ability to cope with pesticides, which should be considered in risk assessments. Since honey bee colony losses occur mostly over winter, long-term studies assessing the effects of pesticide exposure on winter bees are required to better understand the underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Bovier
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Domenic W Camenzind
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew F Brown
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Jeker
- Swiss Bee Research Centre, Agroscope, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gina Retschnig
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Peter Neumann
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lars Straub
- Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Science, Energy and Environment, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Rayong Campus, Rayong, Thailand.
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK.
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4
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Albacete S, Sancho G, Azpiazu C, Sgolastra F, Rodrigo A, Bosch J. Exposure to sublethal levels of insecticide-fungicide mixtures affect reproductive success and population growth rates in the solitary bee Osmia cornuta. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108919. [PMID: 39094406 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
In agricultural environments, bees are routinely exposed to combinations of pesticides. For the most part, exposure to these pesticide mixtures does not result in acute lethal effects, but we know very little about potential sublethal effects and their consequences on reproductive success and population dynamics. In this study, we orally exposed newly emerged females of the solitary bee Osmia cornuta to environmentally-relevant levels of acetamiprid (a cyano-substituted neonicotinoid insecticide) singly and in combination with tebuconazole (a sterol-biosynthesis inhibitor (SBI) fungicide). The amount of feeding solution consumed during the exposure phase was lowest in bees exposed to the pesticide mixture. Following exposure, females were individually marked and released into oilseed rape field cages to monitor their nesting performance and assess their reproductive success. The nesting performance and reproductive success of bees exposed to the fungicide or the insecticide alone were similar to those of control bees and resulted in a 1.3-1.7 net population increases. By contrast, bees exposed to the pesticide mixture showed lower establishment, shortened nesting period, and reduced fecundity. Together, these effects led to a 0.5-0.6 population decrease. Female establishment and shortened nesting period were the main population bottlenecks. We found no effects of the pesticide mixture on nest provisioning rate, offspring body weight or sex ratio. Our study shows how sublethal pesticide exposure may affect several components of bee reproductive success and, ultimately, population growth. Our results calls for a rethinking of pollinator risk assessment schemes, which should target not only single compounds but also combinations of compounds likely to co-occur in agricultural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Albacete
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Gonzalo Sancho
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Celeste Azpiazu
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC - Universitat Pompeu Fabra), 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fabio Sgolastra
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Anselm Rodrigo
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jordi Bosch
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
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Chen D, Liu Y, Liu Y, Zhao K, Zhang T, Gao Y, Wang Q, Song B, Hao G. ChemFREE: a one-stop comprehensive platform for ecological and environmental risk evaluation of chemicals in one health world. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:W450-W460. [PMID: 38832633 PMCID: PMC11223831 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Addressing health and safety crises stemming from various environmental and ecological issues is a core focus of One Health (OH), which aims to balance and optimize the health of humans, animals, and the environment. While many chemicals contribute significantly to our quality of life when properly used, others pose environmental and ecological health risks. Recently, assessing the ecological and environmental risks associated with chemicals has gained increasing significance in the OH world. In silico models may address time-consuming and costly challenges, and fill gaps in situations where no experimental data is available. However, despite their significant contributions, these assessment models are not web-integrated, leading to user inconvenience. In this study, we developed a one-stop comprehensive web platform for freely evaluating the eco-environmental risk of chemicals, named ChemFREE (Chemical Formula Risk Evaluation of Eco-environment, available in http://chemfree.agroda.cn/chemfree/). Inputting SMILES string of chemicals, users will obtain the assessment outputs of ecological and environmental risk, etc. A performance evaluation of 2935 external chemicals revealed that most classification models achieved an accuracy rate above 0.816. Additionally, the $Q_{F1}^2$ metric for regression models ranges from 0.618 to 0.898. Therefore, it will facilitate the eco-environmental risk evaluation of chemicals in the OH world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongyu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Yingwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Kejun Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Tianhan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Yangyang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Qi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Baoan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
| | - Gefei Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for Research and Development of Fine Chemicals, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, P. R. China
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Van Deynze B, Swinton SM, Hennessy DA, Haddad NM, Ries L. Insecticides, more than herbicides, land use, and climate, are associated with declines in butterfly species richness and abundance in the American Midwest. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304319. [PMID: 38900768 PMCID: PMC11189219 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Mounting evidence shows overall insect abundances are in decline globally. Habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides have all been implicated, but their relative effects have never been evaluated in a comprehensive large-scale study. We harmonized 17 years of land use, climate, multiple classes of pesticides, and butterfly survey data across 81 counties in five states in the US Midwest. We find community-wide declines in total butterfly abundance and species richness to be most strongly associated with insecticides in general, and for butterfly species richness the use of neonicotinoid-treated seeds in particular. This included the abundance of the migratory monarch (Danaus plexippus), whose decline is the focus of intensive debate and public concern. Insect declines cannot be understood without comprehensive data on all putative drivers, and the 2015 cessation of neonicotinoid data releases in the US will impede future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braeden Van Deynze
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA, United States of America
| | - Scott M. Swinton
- Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - David A. Hennessy
- Department of Economics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
| | - Nick M. Haddad
- Kellogg Biological Station and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Leslie Ries
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States of America
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7
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Nagloo N, Rigosi E, Herbertsson L, O'Carroll DC. Comparability of comparative toxicity: insect sensitivity to imidacloprid reveals huge variations across species but also within species. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232811. [PMID: 38864325 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Pesticides have been identified as major drivers of insect biodiversity loss. Thus, the study of their effects on non-pest insect species has attracted a lot of attention in recent decades. In general toxicology, the 'gold standard' to assess the toxicity of a substance is to measure mass-specific LD50 (i.e. median lethal dose per unit body mass). In entomology, reviews attempting to compare these data across all available studies are lacking. To fill this gap in knowledge, we performed a systematic review of the lethality of imidacloprid for adult insects. Imidacloprid is possibly the most extensively studied insecticide in recent times, yet we found that little is comparable across studies, owing to both methodological divergence and missing estimates of body mass. By accounting for body mass whenever possible, we show how imidacloprid sensitivity spans across an apparent range of approximately six orders of magnitude across insect species. Very high variability within species can also be observed owing to differences in exposure methods and observation time. We suggest that a more comparable and comprehensive approach has both biological and economic relevance. Ultimately, this would help to identify differences that could direct research towards preventing non-target species from being negatively affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Nagloo
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35 , Lund 22362, Sweden
| | - Elisa Rigosi
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35 , Lund 22362, Sweden
| | - Lina Herbertsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35 , Lund 22362, Sweden
| | - David C O'Carroll
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35 , Lund 22362, Sweden
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8
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Erban T, Markovic M, Sopko B. Sublethal acetamiprid exposure induces immunity, suppresses pathways linked to juvenile hormone synthesis in queens and affects cycle-related signaling in emerging bees. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 349:123901. [PMID: 38556147 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Acetamiprid is the only neonicotinoid registered in the European Union because the risks of neonicotinoids to honey bees and other pollinators are strictly regulated. Herein, we orally exposed honey bee colonies to sublethal concentrations of acetamiprid (20 μg/L) under isolated conditions. After one month of continuous exposure, the emerging bees and queens were collected and analyzed via high-throughput label-free quantitative proteomics using a data-independent acquisition strategy. Six and 34 significantly differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the emerging bees and queens, respectively. Mrjp3 was the only DEP found in both sample types/castes, and its opposite regulation illustrated a differential response. The DEPs in the emerging bees (H/ACA RNP, Rap1GAP, Mrjp3, and JHE) suggested that sublethal exposure to acetamiprid affected cell cycle-related signaling, which may affect the life history of workers in the colony. The DEPs with increased levels in queens, such as Mrjps 1-4 and 6-7, hymenoptaecin, and apidaecin 22, indicated an activated immune response. Additionally, the level of farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS), which is essential for the mevalonate pathway and juvenile hormone biosynthesis, was significantly decreased in queens. The impaired utilization of juvenile hormone in queens supported the identification of additional DEPs. Furthermore, the proteome changes suggested the existence of increased neonicotinoid detoxification by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase and increased amino acid metabolism. The results suggest that the continuous exposure of bee colonies to acetamiprid at low doses (nanograms per gram in feed) may pose a threat to the colonies. The different exposure routes and durations for the emerging bees and queens in our experiment must be considered, i.e., the emerging bees were exposed as larvae via feeding royal jelly and beebread provided by workers (nurse bees), whereas the queens were fed royal jelly throughout the experiment. The biological consequences of the proteomic changes resulting from sublethal/chronic exposure require future determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Erban
- Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507/73, Prague 6-Ruzyne, CZ-161 06, Czechia.
| | - Martin Markovic
- Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507/73, Prague 6-Ruzyne, CZ-161 06, Czechia
| | - Bruno Sopko
- Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507/73, Prague 6-Ruzyne, CZ-161 06, Czechia
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9
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Gray LK, Hulsey M, Siviter H. A novel insecticide impairs bumblebee memory and sucrose responsiveness across high and low nutrition. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231798. [PMID: 38721128 PMCID: PMC11076119 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Wild bees are important pollinators of crops and wildflowers but are exposed to a myriad of different anthropogenic stressors, such as pesticides and poor nutrition, as a consequence of intensive agriculture. These stressors do not act in isolation, but interact, and may exacerbate one another. Here, we assessed whether a field-realistic concentration of flupyradifurone, a novel pesticide that has been labelled as 'bee safe' by regulators, influenced bumblebee sucrose responsiveness and long-term memory. In a fully crossed experimental design, we exposed individual bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) to flupyradifurone at high (50% (w/w)) or low (15% (w/w)) sucrose concentrations, replicating diets that are either carbohydrate rich or poor, respectively. We found that flupyradifurone impaired sucrose responsiveness and long-term memory at both sucrose concentrations, indicating that better nutrition did not buffer the negative impact of flupyradifurone. We found no individual impact of sugar deficiency on bee behaviour and no significant interactions between pesticide exposure and poor nutrition. Our results add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that flupyradifurone has significant negative impacts on pollinators, indicating that this pesticide is not 'bee safe'. This suggests that agrochemical risk assessments are not protecting pollinators from the unintended consequences of pesticide use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily K. Gray
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX78712, USA
| | - Marcus Hulsey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX78712, USA
- University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK73019, USA
| | - Harry Siviter
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX78712, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BristolBS8 1TQ, UK
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10
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Knauer A, Naef C, Albrecht M. Pesticide hazard, floral resource availability and natural enemies interactively drive the fitness of bee species depending on their crop fidelity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171058. [PMID: 38378056 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Anina Knauer
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Carmen Naef
- Agroecology and Environment, Agroscope, Zürich, Switzerland
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11
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Nicholson CC, Knapp J, Kiljanek T, Albrecht M, Chauzat MP, Costa C, De la Rúa P, Klein AM, Mänd M, Potts SG, Schweiger O, Bottero I, Cini E, de Miranda JR, Di Prisco G, Dominik C, Hodge S, Kaunath V, Knauer A, Laurent M, Martínez-López V, Medrzycki P, Pereira-Peixoto MH, Raimets R, Schwarz JM, Senapathi D, Tamburini G, Brown MJF, Stout JC, Rundlöf M. Pesticide use negatively affects bumble bees across European landscapes. Nature 2024; 628:355-358. [PMID: 38030722 PMCID: PMC11006599 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06773-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Sustainable agriculture requires balancing crop yields with the effects of pesticides on non-target organisms, such as bees and other crop pollinators. Field studies demonstrated that agricultural use of neonicotinoid insecticides can negatively affect wild bee species1,2, leading to restrictions on these compounds3. However, besides neonicotinoids, field-based evidence of the effects of landscape pesticide exposure on wild bees is lacking. Bees encounter many pesticides in agricultural landscapes4-9 and the effects of this landscape exposure on colony growth and development of any bee species remains unknown. Here we show that the many pesticides found in bumble bee-collected pollen are associated with reduced colony performance during crop bloom, especially in simplified landscapes with intensive agricultural practices. Our results from 316 Bombus terrestris colonies at 106 agricultural sites across eight European countries confirm that the regulatory system fails to sufficiently prevent pesticide-related impacts on non-target organisms, even for a eusocial pollinator species in which colony size may buffer against such impacts10,11. These findings support the need for postapproval monitoring of both pesticide exposure and effects to confirm that the regulatory process is sufficiently protective in limiting the collateral environmental damage of agricultural pesticide use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica Knapp
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Tomasz Kiljanek
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Puławy, Poland
| | | | - Marie-Pierre Chauzat
- Laboratory for Animal Health, ANSES, Paris-Est University, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Cecilia Costa
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Agriculture and Environment Research Centre, Bologna, Italy
| | - Pilar De la Rúa
- Department of Zoology and Physical Anthropology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marika Mänd
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Simon G Potts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Oliver Schweiger
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Irene Bottero
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Elena Cini
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Joachim R de Miranda
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gennaro Di Prisco
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Agriculture and Environment Research Centre, Bologna, Italy
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, The Italian National Research Council, Portici, Italy
| | - Christophe Dominik
- Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Halle, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Simon Hodge
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Vera Kaunath
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anina Knauer
- Agroscope, Agroecology and Environment, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marion Laurent
- Unit of Honey Bee Pathology, Sophia Antipolis Laboratory, ANSES, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | | | - Piotr Medrzycki
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Agriculture and Environment Research Centre, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Risto Raimets
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | | | - Deepa Senapathi
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Giovanni Tamburini
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Mark J F Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Jane C Stout
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Maj Rundlöf
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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12
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Raine NE, Rundlöf M. Pesticide Exposure and Effects on Non- Apis Bees. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 69:551-576. [PMID: 37827173 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ento-040323-020625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Bees are essential pollinators of many crops and wild plants, and pesticide exposure is one of the key environmental stressors affecting their health in anthropogenically modified landscapes. Until recently, almost all information on routes and impacts of pesticide exposure came from honey bees, at least partially because they were the only model species required for environmental risk assessments (ERAs) for insect pollinators. Recently, there has been a surge in research activity focusing on pesticide exposure and effects for non-Apis bees, including other social bees (bumble bees and stingless bees) and solitary bees. These taxa vary substantially from honey bees and one another in several important ecological traits, including spatial and temporal activity patterns, foraging and nesting requirements, and degree of sociality. In this article, we review the current evidence base about pesticide exposure pathways and the consequences of exposure for non-Apis bees. We find that the insights into non-Apis bee pesticide exposure and resulting impacts across biological organizations, landscapes, mixtures, and multiple stressors are still in their infancy. The good news is that there are many promising approaches that could be used to advance our understanding, with priority given to informing exposure pathways, extrapolating effects, and determining how well our current insights (limited to very few species and mostly neonicotinoid insecticides under unrealistic conditions) can be generalized to the diversity of species and lifestyles in the global bee community. We conclude that future research to expand our knowledge would also be beneficial for ERAs and wider policy decisions concerning pollinator conservation and pesticide regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel E Raine
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada;
| | - Maj Rundlöf
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden;
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13
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Lonsdorf EV, Rundlöf M, Nicholson CC, Williams NM. A spatially explicit model of landscape pesticide exposure to bees: Development, exploration, and evaluation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 908:168146. [PMID: 37914120 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides represent one of the greatest threats to bees and other beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes. Potential exposure is generated through compound- and crop-specific patterns of pesticide use over space and time and unique degradation behavior among compounds. Realized exposure develops through bees foraging from their nests across the spatiotemporal mosaic of floral resources and associated pesticides throughout the landscape. Despite the recognized importance of a landscape-wide approach to assessing exposure, we lack a sufficiently-evaluated predictive framework to inform mitigation decisions and environmental risk assessment for bees. We address this gap by developing a bee pesticide exposure model that incorporates spatiotemporal pesticide use patterns, estimated rates of pesticide degradation, floral resource dynamics across habitats, and bee foraging movements. We parameterized the model with pesticide use data from a public database containing crop-field- and date-specific records of uses throughout our study region over an entire year. We evaluate the model performance in predicting bee pesticide exposure using a dataset of pesticide residues in pollens gathered by bumble bees (Bombus vosnesenskii) returning to colonies across 14 spatially independent landscapes in Northern California. We applied alternative model formulations of pesticide accumulation and degradation, floral resource seasonality, and bee foraging behavior to evaluate different levels of detail for predicting observed pesticide exposure. Our best model explained 73 % of observed variation in pesticide exposure of bumble bee colonies, with generally positive correlations for the dominant compounds. Timing and location of pesticide use were integral, but more detailed parameterizations of pesticide degradation, floral resources, and bee foraging improved the predictions little if at all. Our results suggest that this approach to predict bees' pesticide exposure has value in extending from the local field scale to the landscape in environmental risk assessment and for exploring mitigation options to support bees in agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric V Lonsdorf
- Department of Environmental Sciences, 400 Dowman Drive, 5th floor, Math & Science Center, Emory University, Atlanta 30322, GA, United States of America.
| | - Maj Rundlöf
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America; Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Charlie C Nicholson
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America; Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Neal M Williams
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
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14
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Kotli M, Piir G, Maran U. Pesticide effect on earthworm lethality via interpretable machine learning. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 461:132577. [PMID: 37793249 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Earthworms are among the most important animals (invertebrates) for soil health. Many chemical substances released into nature for agricultural development, such as pesticides, may have unwanted effects on those organisms. However, it is essential to understand the extent of the impact of chemicals on soil health first and then make the proper decisions for regulatory or commercial purposes. We hypothesize that there is an expressible quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) between the structure of pesticide compounds and the acute toxicity effect of earthworm species Eisenia fetida. The description of this relationship allows for a better assessment of the impact of chemicals on the said earthworm. To describe this relationship, a dataset of chemicals was collected from open-access sources to develop a mathematical model. A novel approach, combining genetic algorithm and Bayesian optimization, was used to select structural features into the model and to optimize model parameters. The final QSAR classification model was created with the Random Forest algorithm and exhibited good prediction Accuracy of 0.78 on training set and 0.80 on test set. The model representation follows FAIR principles and is available on QsarDB.org.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihkel Kotli
- University of Tartu, Institute of Chemistry, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Geven Piir
- University of Tartu, Institute of Chemistry, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Uko Maran
- University of Tartu, Institute of Chemistry, Tartu, Estonia.
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15
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Poyntz-Wright IP, Harrison XA, Johnson A, Zappala S, Tyler CR. Pesticide pollution associations with riverine invertebrate communities in England. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166519. [PMID: 37640080 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Globally freshwater biodiversity has experienced major decline and chemical pollutants are believed to have played a significant role in this decline, but this has not been well quantified for most riverine invertebrate populations. Here we applied a biogeographically independent trait-based bioindicator, SPEARpesticides across sites across five regions (Northern, Midlands and Western, Anglian, Southeast, and Southwest) in England to investigate for associations specifically between pesticide use/pollution and riverine invertebrate communities over a 55-year period (1965-2019). Both spatially and temporally post-1990, the Anglian and Thames regions consistently showed the lowest SPEARpesticides scores, illustrating the presence of fewer pesticide sensitive species. The Anglian region had the highest pesticide use compared to all other regions from 1990 to 2018 and there were negative relationships between the level of pesticide/insecticide use and the regional SPEARpesticides score. Biochemical Oxygen Demand and ammonia, as measures of general water quality, were also negatively correlated with the SPEARpesticides scores across the regions, but these factors were not the driver for the lower SPEARpesticides scores seen in the Anglian region. Based on SPEARpesticides scores, riverine invertebrate communities in England have been most impacted in the Anglian region and we evidence chronic insecticide exposure is likely a significant factor in shaping the status of those invertebrate communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imogen P Poyntz-Wright
- Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - Xavier A Harrison
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Andrew Johnson
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, MacLean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Susan Zappala
- JNCC, Quay House, 2 East Station Road, Fletton Quays, Peterborough PE2 8YY, UK
| | - Charles R Tyler
- Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
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16
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Mamy L, Pesce S, Sanchez W, Aviron S, Bedos C, Berny P, Bertrand C, Betoulle S, Charles S, Chaumot A, Coeurdassier M, Coutellec MA, Crouzet O, Faburé J, Fritsch C, Gonzalez P, Hedde M, Leboulanger C, Margoum C, Mougin C, Munaron D, Nélieu S, Pelosi C, Rault M, Sucré E, Thomas M, Tournebize J, Leenhardt S. Impacts of neonicotinoids on biodiversity: a critical review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-31032-3. [PMID: 38036909 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31032-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Neonicotinoids are the most widely used class of insecticides in the world, but they have raised numerous concerns regarding their effects on biodiversity. Thus, the objective of this work was to do a critical review of the contamination of the environment (soil, water, air, biota) by neonicotinoids (acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, thiamethoxam) and of their impacts on terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. Neonicotinoids are very frequently detected in soils and in freshwater, and they are also found in the air. They have only been recently monitored in coastal and marine environments, but some studies already reported the presence of imidacloprid and thiamethoxam in transitional or semi-enclosed ecosystems (lagoons, bays, and estuaries). The contamination of the environment leads to the exposure and to the contamination of non-target organisms and to negative effects on biodiversity. Direct impacts of neonicotinoids are mainly reported on terrestrial invertebrates (e.g., pollinators, natural enemies, earthworms) and vertebrates (e.g., birds) and on aquatic invertebrates (e.g., arthropods). Impacts on aquatic vertebrate populations and communities, as well as on microorganisms, are less documented. In addition to their toxicity to directly exposed organisms, neonicotinoid induce indirect effects via trophic cascades as demonstrated in several species (terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates). However, more data are needed to reach firmer conclusions and to get a clearer picture of such indirect effects. Finally, we identified specific knowledge gaps that need to be filled to better understand the effects of neonicotinoids on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine organisms, as well as on ecosystem services associated with these biotas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Mamy
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120, Palaiseau, France.
| | | | | | | | - Carole Bedos
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Philippe Berny
- UR ICE Vetagro Sup, Campus Vétérinaire, 69280, Marcy‑L'Etoile, France
| | - Colette Bertrand
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Stéphane Betoulle
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Normandie Université, ULH, INERIS, SEBIO, 51100, Reims, France
| | | | | | - Michael Coeurdassier
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS-Université de Franche-Comté, 25000, Besançon, France
| | - Marie-Agnès Coutellec
- DECOD (Ecosystem Dynamics and Sustainability), INRAE, L'Institut Agro, Ifremer, 35042, Rennes, France
| | - Olivier Crouzet
- OFB, Direction de la Recherche et Appui Scientifique (DRAS), 78610, Auffargis, France
| | - Juliette Faburé
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Clémentine Fritsch
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, UMR 6249 CNRS-Université de Franche-Comté, 25000, Besançon, France
| | - Patrice Gonzalez
- CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, Univ. Bordeaux, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Mickael Hedde
- Eco&Sols, Univ. Montpellier, INRAE, IRD, CIRAD, Institut Agro Montpellier, 34060, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Christian Mougin
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | | | - Sylvie Nélieu
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR ECOSYS, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Céline Pelosi
- INRAE, Avignon Université, UMR EMMAH, 84000, Avignon, France
| | - Magali Rault
- Université d'Avignon, Université Aix-Marseille, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Pôle Agrosciences, 84916, Avignon, France
| | - Elliott Sucré
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD, 34200, Sète, France
- Centre Universitaire de Formation Et de Recherche de Mayotte (CUFR), 97660, Dembeni, Mayotte, France
| | - Marielle Thomas
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, UR AFPA, 54000, Nancy, France
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17
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Xiao X, Haas J, Nauen R. Functional orthologs of honeybee CYP6AQ1 in stingless bees degrade the butenolide insecticide flupyradifurone. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 268:115719. [PMID: 37992638 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Flupyradifurone (FPF), a novel butenolide insecticide binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), has been shown to be less acutely toxic to western honey bees (Apis mellifera) than other insecticides such as neonicotinoids sharing the same target-site. A previous study revealed that this is due to enhanced oxidative metabolism of FPF, mediated by three cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), including CYP6AQ1. Therefore, we followed a toxicogenomics approach and investigated the potential role of functional CYP6AQ1 orthologs in FPF metabolism from eight different bee species, including stingless bees (Tribe: Meliponini). We conducted a phylogenetic analysis on four stingless bee species, including Frieseomelitta varia, Heterotrigona itama, Melipona quadrifasciata and Tetragonula carbonaria to identify CYP6AQ1-like functional orthologs. Three non-Meliponini, but tropical bee species, i.e., Ammobates syriacus, Euglossa dilemma and Megalopta genalis were analyzed as well. We identified candidate P450s in all (neo)tropical species with greater than 61% and 67% predicted protein sequence identities when compared to A. mellifera CYP6AQ1 and Bombus terrestris CYP6AQ26, respectively. Heterologous expression in High Five insect cells of these functional orthologs revealed a common coumarin substrate profile and a preference for the O-debenzylation of bulkier substrates. Competition assays using the fluorescent probe substrate 7-benzyloxymethoxy-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin (BOMFC) with these enzymes indicated inhibition of BOMFC metabolism by increasing concentrations of FPF. Furthermore, UPLC-MS/MS analysis revealed the capacity of all CYP6AQ1-like orthologs to metabolize FPF by hydroxylation in vitro at various levels, indicating a conserved FPF detoxification potential in different (neo)tropical bee species including Meliponini. This research, employing a toxicogenomics approach, provides important insights into the potential of stingless and other tropical bee species to detoxify FPF, and highlights the significance of investigating the detoxification mechanisms of insecticides in non-Apis bee species by molecular tools to inform risk assessment and conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingzhi Xiao
- Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany; Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, R&D, D-40789 Monheim, Germany
| | - Julian Haas
- Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, R&D, D-40789 Monheim, Germany
| | - Ralf Nauen
- Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, R&D, D-40789 Monheim, Germany.
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18
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Fisher A, Tadei R, Berenbaum M, Nieh J, Siviter H, Crall J, Glass JR, Muth F, Liao LH, Traynor K, DesJardins N, Nocelli R, Simon-Delso N, Harrison JF. Breaking the cycle: Reforming pesticide regulation to protect pollinators. Bioscience 2023; 73:808-813. [PMID: 38125825 PMCID: PMC10728777 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Over decades, pesticide regulations have cycled between approval and implementation, followed by the discovery of negative effects on nontarget organisms that result in new regulations, pesticides, and harmful effects. This relentless pattern undermines the capacity to protect the environment from pesticide hazards and frustrates end users that need pest management tools. Wild pollinating insects are in decline, and managed pollinators such as honey bees are experiencing excessive losses, which threatens sustainable food security and ecosystem function. An increasing number of studies demonstrate the negative effects of field-realistic exposure to pesticides on pollinator health and fitness, which contribute to pollinator declines. Current pesticide approval processes, although they are superior to past practices, clearly continue to fail to protect pollinator health. In the present article, we provide a conceptual framework to reform cyclical pesticide approval processes and better protect pollinators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Fisher
- School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
| | | | - May Berenbaum
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States
| | - James Nieh
- University of California, San Diego, California, United States
| | - Harry Siviter
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
- University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom
| | - James Crall
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Widsconsin, United States
| | - Jordan R Glass
- School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
| | - Felicity Muth
- University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Ling-Hsiu Liao
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States
| | | | - Nicole DesJardins
- School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
| | | | - Noa Simon-Delso
- BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination, Louvain la Neuve, Belgium
| | - Jon F Harrison
- School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States
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19
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Graham KK, Milbrath MO, Killewald M, Soehnlen A, Zhang Y, Isaacs R. Identity and diversity of pollens collected by two managed bee species while in blueberry fields for pollination. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:907-917. [PMID: 37498984 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvad072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The nutritional needs and foraging behavior of managed bees often lead to pollen collection from flowers other than the focal crop during crop pollination. To understand the pollen needs and preferences of managed bees during blueberry pollination, we identified pollen collected by Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) and Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies across two years. Bumble bees collected a wider diversity of pollens compared to honey bees, whereas honey bees were more focused on abundant resources. Despite blueberries being the most abundant resource in the landscape, it was not the most collected pollen by either bee species in 2018. However, it was the most collected pollen by bumble bees in 2019 and they collected substantially more blueberry pollen than honey bees in both years. In 2018, buckthorn, Rhamnus L. (Rosales: Rhamnaceae) or Frangula Mill. (Rosales: Rhamnaceae), and willow, Salix L. (Malpighiales: Salicaceae), pollens were abundantly collected by both bee species. In 2019, cherry, Prunus L. (Rosales: Rosaceae), and willow (Salix) pollens were collected at high proportions by both species. Brambles, Rubus L. (Rosales: Rosaceae), and white clover, Trifolium repens L. (Fabales: Fabaceae), were also common pollen sources for honey bees, whereas oak, Quercus L. (Fagales: Fagaceae), was collected by bumble bees. Landscape analyses also revealed that certain land cover types were positively correlated with the collection of preferred pollen types. Herbaceous wetlands were associated with collection of buckthorn (Rhamnus/Frangula), willow (Salix), and cherry (Prunus) pollen, which were primary pollen resources for both bee species. There was no correlation between landscape diversity and pollen diversity, suggesting that colonies forage based on nutritional requirements rather than resource availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey K Graham
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, 202 CIPS, 578 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Present Affiliation: U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service, Pollinating Insect - Biology, Management, Systematics Research Unit, 1410 N. 800 E., Logan, UT 84341, USA
| | - Meghan O Milbrath
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, 202 CIPS, 578 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Michael Killewald
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, 202 CIPS, 578 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, 12 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Annuet Soehnlen
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, 202 CIPS, 578 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Yajun Zhang
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, 202 CIPS, 578 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Rufus Isaacs
- Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, 202 CIPS, 578 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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20
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Dirilgen T, Herbertsson L, O'Reilly AD, Mahon N, Stanley DA. Moving past neonicotinoids and honeybees: A systematic review of existing research on other insecticides and bees. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 235:116612. [PMID: 37454798 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic pesticides (e.g. herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) are used widely in agriculture to protect crops from pests, weeds and disease. However, their use also comes with a range of environmental concerns. One key concern is the effect of insecticides on non-target organisms such as bees, who provide pollination services for crops and wild plants. This systematic literature review quantifies the existing research on bees and insecticides broadly, and then focuses more specifically on non-neonicotinoid insecticides and non-honeybees. We find that articles on honeybees (Apis sp.) and insecticides account for 80% of all research, with all other bees combined making up 20%. Neonicotinoids were studied in 34% of articles across all bees and were the most widely studied insecticide class for non-honeybees overall, with almost three times as many studies than the second most studied class. Of non-neonicotinoid insecticide classes and non-honeybees, the most studied were pyrethroids and organophosphates followed by carbamates, and the most widely represented bee taxa were bumblebees (Bombus), followed by leaf-cutter bees (Megachile) and mason bees (Osmia). Research has taken place across several countries, with the highest numbers of articles from Brazil and the US, and with notable gaps from countries in Asia, Africa and Oceania. Mortality was the most studied effect type, while sub-lethal effects such as on behaviour were less studied. Few studies tested how the effect of insecticides were influenced by multiple pressures, such as climate change and co-occurring pesticides (cocktail effects). As anthropogenic pressures do not occur in isolation, we suggest that future research also addresses these knowledge gaps. Given the changing global patterns in insecticide use, and the increasing inclusion of both non-honeybees and sub-lethal effects in pesticide risk assessment, there is a need for expanding research beyond its current state to ensure a strong scientific evidence base for the development of risk assessment and associated policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Dirilgen
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland; Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - L Herbertsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - A D O'Reilly
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland; Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - N Mahon
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - D A Stanley
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland; Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
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21
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Straw EA, Stanley DA. Weak evidence base for bee protective pesticide mitigation measures. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 116:1604-1612. [PMID: 37458300 PMCID: PMC10564266 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toad118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
Pesticides help produce food for humanity's growing population, yet they have negative impacts on the environment. Limiting these impacts, while maintaining food supply, is a crucial challenge for modern agriculture. Mitigation measures are actions taken by pesticide users, which modify the risk of the application to nontarget organisms, such as bees. Through these, the impacts of pesticides can be reduced, with minimal impacts on the efficacy of the pesticide. Here we collate the scientific evidence behind mitigation measures designed to reduce pesticide impacts on bees using a systematic review methodology. We included all publications which tested the effects of any pesticide mitigation measure (using a very loose definition) on bees, at any scale (from individual through to population level), so long as they presented evidence on the efficacy of the measure. We found 34 publications with direct evidence on the topic, covering a range of available mitigation measures. No currently used mitigation measures were thoroughly tested, and some entirely lacked empirical support, showing a weak evidence base for current recommendations and policy. We found mitigation measure research predominantly focuses on managed bees, potentially failing to protect wild bees. We also found that label-recommended mitigation measures, which are the mitigation measures most often applied, specifically are seldom tested empirically. Ultimately, we recommend that more, and stronger, scientific evidence is required to justify existing mitigation measures to help reduce the impacts of pesticides on bees while maintaining crop protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A Straw
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dara A Stanley
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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22
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Straw EA, Cini E, Gold H, Linguadoca A, Mayne C, Rockx J, Brown MJF, Garratt MPD, Potts SG, Senapathi D. Neither sulfoxaflor, Crithidia bombi, nor their combination impact bumble bee colony development or field bean pollination. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16462. [PMID: 37777537 PMCID: PMC10542809 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43215-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Many pollinators, including bumble bees, are in decline. Such declines are known to be driven by a number of interacting factors. Decreases in bee populations may also negatively impact the key ecosystem service, pollination, that they provide. Pesticides and parasites are often cited as two of the drivers of bee declines, particularly as they have previously been found to interact with one another to the detriment of bee health. Here we test the effects of an insecticide, sulfoxaflor, and a highly prevalent bumble bee parasite, Crithidia bombi, on the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. After exposing colonies to realistic doses of either sulfoxaflor and/or Crithidia bombi in a fully crossed experiment, colonies were allowed to forage on field beans in outdoor exclusion cages. Foraging performance was monitored, and the impacts on fruit set were recorded. We found no effect of either stressor, or their interaction, on the pollination services they provide to field beans, either at an individual level or a whole colony level. Further, there was no impact of any treatment, in any metric, on colony development. Our results contrast with prior findings that similar insecticides (neonicotinoids) impact pollination services, and that sulfoxaflor impacts colony development, potentially suggesting that sulfoxaflor is a less harmful compound to bee health than neonicotinoids insecticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A Straw
- Department of Botany, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, D02 PN40, Ireland
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Elena Cini
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK.
| | - Harriet Gold
- The School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AB, UK
| | - Alberto Linguadoca
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
- Pesticides Peer Review Unit, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Via Carlo Magno 1A, 43126, Parma, Italy
| | - Chloe Mayne
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AS, UK
| | - Joris Rockx
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
| | - Mark J F Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Michael P D Garratt
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
| | - Simon G Potts
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
| | - Deepa Senapathi
- Centre for Agri-Environmental Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK.
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23
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Çakıcı Ö, Uysal M, Demirözer O, Gösterit A. Sublethal effects of thiamethoxam on immune system cells in the workers of Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:87424-87432. [PMID: 37422564 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28654-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
Neonicotinoids harm especially bumblebees and other species in agricultural areas all over the world. The toxic effect of thiamethoxam from the neonicotinoid group has been little studied especially on bees. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of thiamethoxam on the immune system cells of Bombus terrestris workers. Different ratios of 1/1000, 1/100 and 1/10 of the recommended maximum application dose of thiamethoxam formed the experimental groups. Ten foraging workers were used for each dose and control groups. Contamination was ensured by spraying the prepared suspensions at different ratios to the bees for 20 s at a pressure of 1 atm. The effects of thiamethoxam on the structures of immune system cells of bumblebees and the amount of these cells were investigated after 48 h of exposure. In general, anomalies such as vacuolization, cell membrane irregularities and cell shape changes were detected in prohemocyte, plasmatocyte, granulocyte, spherulocyte and oenocytoid in each dose group. Hemocyte area measurements in all groups were examined comparatively between groups. In general, granulocyte and plasmatocyte sizes were decreased, while spherulocyte and oenocytoid were increased. It was also determined that there was a significant decrease in the amount of hemocytes in the 1 mm3 hemolymph as dose increased. The results of the study revealed that sublethal doses of thiamethoxam negatively affected hemocytes and their amounts of B. terrestris workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Özlem Çakıcı
- Science Faculty, Biology Department, Ege University, Zoology Section, 35100, Bornova-Izmir, Turkey.
| | - Melis Uysal
- Science Faculty, Biology Department, Ege University, Zoology Section, 35100, Bornova-Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ozan Demirözer
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Isparta Applied Science University, 32260, Isparta, Turkey
| | - Ayhan Gösterit
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Isparta Applied Science University, 32260, Isparta, Turkey
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24
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Easton-Calabria AC, Thuma JA, Cronin K, Melone G, Laskowski M, Smith MAY, Pasadyn CL, de Bivort BL, Crall JD. Colony size buffers interactions between neonicotinoid exposure and cold stress in bumblebees. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230555. [PMID: 37464757 PMCID: PMC10354472 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Social bees are critical for supporting biodiversity, ecosystem function and crop yields globally. Colony size is a key ecological trait predicted to drive sensitivity to environmental stressors and may be especially important for species with annual cycles of sociality, such as bumblebees. However, there is limited empirical evidence assessing the effect of colony size on sensitivity to environmental stressors or the mechanisms underlying these effects. Here, we examine the relationship between colony size and sensitivity to environmental stressors in bumblebees. We exposed colonies at different developmental stages briefly (2 days) to a common neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) and cold stress, while quantifying behaviour of individuals. Combined imidacloprid and cold exposure had stronger effects on both thermoregulatory behaviour and long-term colony growth in small colonies. We find that imidacloprid's effects on behaviour are mediated by body temperature and spatial location within the nest, suggesting that social thermoregulation provides a buffering effect in large colonies. Finally, we demonstrate qualitatively similar effects in size-manipulated microcolonies, suggesting that group size per se, rather than colony age, drives these patterns. Our results provide evidence that colony size is critical in driving sensitivity to stressors and may help elucidate mechanisms underlying the complex and context-specific impacts of pesticide exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- August C. Easton-Calabria
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jessie A. Thuma
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155-5801, USA
| | - Kayleigh Cronin
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gigi Melone
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Madalyn Laskowski
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Matthew A. Y. Smith
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Cassandra L. Pasadyn
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Benjamin L. de Bivort
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - James D. Crall
- Department of Entomology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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25
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Mancini F, Cooke R, Woodcock BA, Greenop A, Johnson AC, Isaac NJB. Invertebrate biodiversity continues to decline in cropland. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230897. [PMID: 37282535 PMCID: PMC10244961 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern agriculture has drastically changed global landscapes and introduced pressures on wildlife populations. Policy and management of agricultural systems has changed over the last 30 years, a period characterized not only by intensive agricultural practices but also by an increasing push towards sustainability. It is crucial that we understand the long-term consequences of agriculture on beneficial invertebrates and assess if policy and management approaches recently introduced are supporting their recovery. In this study, we use large citizen science datasets to derive trends in invertebrate occupancy in Great Britain between 1990 and 2019. We compare these trends between regions of no- (0%), low- (greater than 0-50%) and high-cropland (greater than 50%) cover, which includes arable and horticultural crops. Although we detect general declines, invertebrate groups are declining most strongly in high-cropland cover regions. This suggests that even in the light of improved policy and management over the last 30 years, the way we are managing cropland is failing to conserve and restore invertebrate communities. New policy-based drivers and incentives are required to support the resilience and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. Post-Brexit changes in UK agricultural policy and reforms under the Environment Act offer opportunities to improve agricultural landscapes for the benefit of biodiversity and society.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rob Cooke
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Ben A. Woodcock
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Arran Greenop
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8BB, UK
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26
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Straw EA, Mesnage R, Brown MJF, Antoniou MN. No impacts of glyphosate or Crithidia bombi, or their combination, on the bumblebee microbiome. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8949. [PMID: 37268667 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35304-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Pesticides are recognised as a key threat to pollinators, impacting their health in many ways. One route through which pesticides can affect pollinators like bumblebees is through the gut microbiome, with knock-on effects on their immune system and parasite resistance. We tested the impacts of a high acute oral dose of glyphosate on the gut microbiome of the buff tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), and glyphosate's interaction with the gut parasite (Crithidia bombi). We used a fully crossed design measuring bee mortality, parasite intensity and the bacterial composition in the gut microbiome estimated from the relative abundance of 16S rRNA amplicons. We found no impact of either glyphosate, C. bombi, or their combination on any metric, including bacterial composition. This result differs from studies on honeybees, which have consistently found an impact of glyphosate on gut bacterial composition. This is potentially explained by the use of an acute exposure, rather than a chronic exposure, and the difference in test species. Since A. mellifera is used as a model species to represent pollinators more broadly in risk assessment, our results highlight that caution is needed in extrapolating gut microbiome results from A. mellifera to other bee species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A Straw
- Department of Botany, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK.
| | - Robin Mesnage
- Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic, Wilhelmi-Beck-Straße 27, 88662, Überlingen, Germany.
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 9RT, UK.
| | - Mark J F Brown
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Michael N Antoniou
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 9RT, UK
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27
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Paus-Knudsen JS, Sveinsson HA, Grung M, Borgå K, Nielsen A. The Neonicotinoid Imidacloprid Impairs Learning, Locomotor Activity Levels, and Sucrose Solution Consumption in Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:1337-1345. [PMID: 36942385 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Bumblebees carry out the complex task of foraging to provide for their colonies. They also conduct pollination, an ecosystem service of high importance to both wild plants and entomophilous crops. Insecticides can alter different aspects of bumblebee foraging behavior, including the motivation to leave the hive, finding the right flowers, handling flowers, and the ability to return to the colony. In the present study, we assessed how the neonicotinoid imidacloprid affects bumblebees' foraging behavior after exposure to four different treatment levels, including field-realistic concentrations (0 [control], 1, 10, and 100 μg/L), through sucrose solution over 9 days. We observed the behavior of several free-flying bumblebees simultaneously foraging on artificial flowers in a flight arena to register the bees' complex behavior postexposure. To conduct a detailed assessment of how insecticides affect bumblebee locomotor behavior, we used video cameras and analyzed the recordings using computer vision. We found that imidacloprid impaired learning and locomotor activity level when the bumblebees foraged on artificial flowers. We also found that imidacloprid exposure reduced sucrose solution intake and storage. By using automated analyses of video recordings of bumblebee behavior, we identified sublethal effects of imidacloprid exposure at field-realistic doses. Specifically, we observed negative impacts on consumption of sucrose solution as well as on learning and locomotor activity level. Our results highlight the need for more multimodal approaches when assessing the sublethal effects of insecticides and plant protection products in general. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1337-1345. © 2023 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Sørlie Paus-Knudsen
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Henrik Andersen Sveinsson
- Department of Biosciences, Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Physics, The NJORD Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Merete Grung
- Department of Biosciences, Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway
| | - Katrine Borgå
- Department of Biosciences, Section for Aquatic Biology and Toxicology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders Nielsen
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Landscape and Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
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28
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Prado IS, da Rocha AA, Silva LA, Gonzalez VC. Glyphosate-based formulation affects Tetragonisca angustula worker's locomotion, behavior and biology. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 32:513-524. [PMID: 37119428 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-023-02658-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Declining bee populations diminish pollination services, damaging plant and agricultural biodiversity. One of the causes of this decline is the use of pesticides. Pesticides with glyphosate as the main active ingredient are among the most used pesticides worldwide, being the most used in Brazil. This study determined the 24 and 48 h LD50 (median lethal dose) of the herbicide's glyphosate-based formulation by ingestion, identified sublethal doses, and investigated its effects on the locomotion and behavior of Tetragonisca angustula workers. The LD50 found indicates that a glyphosate-based formulation is highly toxic to T. angustula. The doses applied, including concentrations found in nature, caused death, motor changes (decreased speed and tremors), excessive self-cleaning, and disorientation (return to light and stop). Although we did not test for pollination effects, we can infer from our results that this formulation can negatively affect the pollination activity of T. angustula. Evaluation of the toxicity and sublethal effects of pesticides on bees contributes to a better understanding of their harmful effects on hives and allows for the development of strategies to reduce these impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabela Sousa Prado
- Zoology Laboratory of the Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil
| | - Agda Alves da Rocha
- Zoology Laboratory of the Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil
| | - Lais Alves Silva
- Graduate Program in Geosciences, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Cunha Gonzalez
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Laboratory of the Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista, Brazil.
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29
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Romanowski H, Blake L. Neonicotinoid seed treatment on sugar beet in England: a qualitative analysis of the controversy, existing policy and viability of alternatives. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND SCIENCES 2023; 13:1-20. [PMID: 37359708 PMCID: PMC10104770 DOI: 10.1007/s13412-023-00830-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
In 2021, the United Kingdom Government granted the possibility of an emergency derogation for the use of the neonicotinoid seed treatment, thiamethoxam, on sugar beet in England. This was met with heavy criticism and controversy due to the body of evidence demonstrating toxicity of the insecticide to non-target species, particularly pollinators. However, many viewed this decision to be reasonable in this system, as sugar beet is a non-flowering crop, and derogations were only implemented if a set of conditions, including viral risk, were met. This research aims to understand the policy and the perspective of stakeholders in this debate, and identify key problems associated with thiamethoxam use on sugar beet. Semi-structured interviews combined with a modified policy analysis were used, incorporating framework analysis and comparative analysis. Political polarisation, whereby respondents felt that the debate had become anti-pesticide or pro-pesticide and lacked nuance, and the monopsony of British Sugar (a UK company that buys and processes sugar beet), were found to be the most prevalent issues currently impeding political progress and the enhancement of sustainable agriculture in this system. Virus forecasting was considered a successful strategy at the time of writing, although limitations to the model are also discussed. Non-chemical alternatives were found to be limited in this system due to the specificity of the pest system and the low threshold of virus yellows, while forecasting was considered to have the lowest net-environmental impact. Additional policy strategies to work alongside forecasting, such as public education and intergroup contact are also discussed. This study reflects a more general tug-of-war that often sets up a false dichotomy between food security and environmental sustainability. It highlights the importance of addressing the complexity of sustainable food production by opening up the discussion and taking a more nuanced and adaptive approach to policy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren Blake
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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30
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Knapp JL, Nicholson CC, Jonsson O, de Miranda JR, Rundlöf M. Ecological traits interact with landscape context to determine bees' pesticide risk. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:547-556. [PMID: 36849537 PMCID: PMC10089916 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-01990-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Widespread contamination of ecosystems with pesticides threatens non-target organisms. However, the extent to which life-history traits affect pesticide exposure and resulting risk in different landscape contexts remains poorly understood. We address this for bees across an agricultural land-use gradient based on pesticide assays of pollen and nectar collected by Apis mellifera, Bombus terrestris and Osmia bicornis, representing extensive, intermediate and limited foraging traits. We found that extensive foragers (A. mellifera) experienced the highest pesticide risk-additive toxicity-weighted concentrations. However, only intermediate (B. terrestris) and limited foragers (O. bicornis) responded to landscape context-experiencing lower pesticide risk with less agricultural land. Pesticide risk correlated among bee species and between food sources and was greatest in A. mellifera-collected pollen-useful information for future postapproval pesticide monitoring. We provide foraging trait- and landscape-dependent information on the occurrence, concentration and identity of pesticides that bees encounter to estimate pesticide risk, which is necessary for more realistic risk assessment and essential information for tracking policy goals to reduce pesticide risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Knapp
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- Department of Botany, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | | | - Ove Jonsson
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, SLU Centre for Pesticides in the Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Joachim R de Miranda
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maj Rundlöf
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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31
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Stuligross C, Melone GG, Wang L, Williams NM. Sublethal behavioral impacts of resource limitation and insecticide exposure reinforce negative fitness outcomes for a solitary bee. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 867:161392. [PMID: 36621507 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Contemporary landscapes present numerous challenges for bees and other beneficial insects that play critical functional roles in natural ecosystems and agriculture. Pesticides and the loss of food resources from flowering plants are two stressors known to act together to impair bee fitness. The impact of these stressors on key behaviors like foraging and nesting can limit pollination services and population persistence, making it critical to understand these sublethal effects. We investigated the effects of insecticide exposure and floral resource limitation on the foraging and nesting behavior of the solitary blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria. Bees in field cages foraged on wildflowers at high or low densities, some treated with the common insecticide, imidacloprid, in a fully crossed design. Both stressors influenced behavior, but they had differential impacts. Bees with limited food resources made fewer, but longer foraging trips and misidentified their nests more often. Insecticide exposure reduced bee foraging activity. Additionally, insecticides interacted with bee age to influence antagonistic behavior among neighboring females, such that insecticide-exposed bees were less antagonistic with age. Our findings point towards mechanisms underlying effects on populations and ecosystem function and reinforce the importance of studying multiple drivers to understand the consequences of anthropogenic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Stuligross
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Grace G Melone
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Neal M Williams
- Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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32
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Tan H, Wang C, Zhu S, Liang Y, He X, Li Y, Wu C, Li Q, Cui Y, Deng X. Neonicotinoids in draining micro-watersheds dominated by rice-vegetable rotations in tropical China: Multimedia occurrence, influencing factors, transport, and associated ecological risks. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 446:130716. [PMID: 36610339 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Multimedia contamination by neonicotinoid (NEO) residues has attracted global attention. However, data regarding the multimedia polluted status under certain typical cropping scenarios and the associated risks are scarce. Here, the multimedia occurrence, spatiotemporal distribution, driving factors, transport, and ecological risks of NEOs from tropical rice-vegetable rotation fields were characterized. The heavy NEOs resided in multiple media, and imidacloprid and acetamiprid were the prevailing NEOs, with concentration contributions of 65-80%. The pollution levels of the NEOs, rather than their compositions, exhibited significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity and were highly correlated with the collective (agricultural practices and climate conditions) and differential (e.g., media properties) factors identified using an auto linear regression model. Furthermore, the multimedia transport of NEOs was largely similar but non-negligibly different during the rainy and dry seasons. A new multimedia ecological risk assessment revealed that 50.6% sites were at high risk, and the risk hotspots occurred in the central areas and the winter planting period. The risks were largely contributed by imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, indicating that there were non-ignorable ecological risks. Our results highlight the differential pollution patterns (distribution, transport, and driving factors) of the prevailing NEOs under tropical agricultural scenarios, and the fact that special attention should be paid to the risks posed by NEOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huadong Tan
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; Danzhou Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Agro-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Danzhou 571737, PR China; National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Environment, Danzhou 571737, PR China; Hainan Engineering Research Center for Non-point Source and Heavy Metal Pollution Control, Danzhou 571737, PR China
| | - Chuanmi Wang
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; College of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, PR China
| | - Sipu Zhu
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; School of Resources and Environment, Central China Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China
| | - Yuefu Liang
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; School of Resources and Environment, Central China Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China
| | - Xiaoyu He
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; School of Resources and Environment, Central China Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, PR China
| | - Yi Li
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; Danzhou Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Agro-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Danzhou 571737, PR China
| | - Chunyuan Wu
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; Danzhou Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Agro-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Danzhou 571737, PR China; National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Environment, Danzhou 571737, PR China; Hainan Engineering Research Center for Non-point Source and Heavy Metal Pollution Control, Danzhou 571737, PR China.
| | - Qinfen Li
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; Danzhou Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Agro-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Danzhou 571737, PR China; National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Environment, Danzhou 571737, PR China; Hainan Engineering Research Center for Non-point Source and Heavy Metal Pollution Control, Danzhou 571737, PR China
| | - Yanmei Cui
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; Danzhou Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Agro-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Danzhou 571737, PR China
| | - Xiao Deng
- Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, PR China; Danzhou Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Agro-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Danzhou 571737, PR China; National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Environment, Danzhou 571737, PR China; Hainan Engineering Research Center for Non-point Source and Heavy Metal Pollution Control, Danzhou 571737, PR China
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Askri D, Straw EA, Arafah K, Voisin SN, Bocquet M, Brown MJF, Bulet P. Parasite and Pesticide Impacts on the Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) Haemolymph Proteome. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065384. [PMID: 36982462 PMCID: PMC10049270 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Pesticides pose a potential threat to bee health, especially in combination with other stressors, such as parasites. However, pesticide risk assessment tests pesticides in isolation from other stresses, i.e., on otherwise healthy bees. Through molecular analysis, the specific impacts of a pesticide or its interaction with another stressor can be elucidated. Molecular mass profiling by MALDI BeeTyping® was used on bee haemolymph to explore the signature of pesticidal and parasitic stressor impacts. This approach was complemented by bottom-up proteomics to investigate the modulation of the haemoproteome. We tested acute oral doses of three pesticides—glyphosate, Amistar and sulfoxaflor—on the bumblebee Bombus terrestris, alongside the gut parasite Crithidia bombi. We found no impact of any pesticide on parasite intensity and no impact of sulfoxaflor or glyphosate on survival or weight change. Amistar caused weight loss and 19–41% mortality. Haemoproteome analysis showed various protein dysregulations. The major pathways dysregulated were those involved in insect defences and immune responses, with Amistar having the strongest impact on these dysregulated pathways. Our results show that even when no response can be seen at a whole organism level, MALDI BeeTyping® can detect effects. Mass spectrometry analysis of bee haemolymph provides a pertinent tool to evaluate stressor impacts on bee health, even at the level of individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalel Askri
- Plateforme BioPark d’Archamps, 74160 Archamps, France
- Correspondence:
| | - Edward A. Straw
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School for Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Department of Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Karim Arafah
- Plateforme BioPark d’Archamps, 74160 Archamps, France
| | - Sébastien N. Voisin
- Plateforme BioPark d’Archamps, 74160 Archamps, France
- Phylogene S.A. 62 RN113, 30620 Bernis, France
| | | | - Mark J. F. Brown
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution & Behaviour, Department of Biological Sciences, School for Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Philippe Bulet
- CR, University Grenoble Alpes, IAB Inserm 1209, CNRS UMR5309, 38000 Grenoble, France
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34
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Qiu Y, Yan X, Ma H, Wang Y, Yang R, Opedal ØH, Zhao Z. Proximity to oilseed rape fields affects plant pollination and pollinator‐mediated selection on a co‐flowering plant on the Tibetan Plateau. Evol Appl 2023; 16:814-823. [PMID: 37124085 PMCID: PMC10130553 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The ecological effects of mass-flowering crops on pollinator abundance and species richness of neighbouring habitats are well established, yet the potential evolutionary consequences remain unclear. We studied effects of proximity to a mass-flowering crop on the pollination of local co-flowering plants and on patterns of natural selection on a pollination-generalised plant on the Tibetan Plateau. We recorded pollinator visitation rates and community composition at different distances (near vs. far) to oilseed rape (Brassica napus) fields in two habitat types and quantified pollinator-mediated selection on attractive traits of Trollius ranunculoides. The proximity to oilseed rape increased pollinator visitation in neighbouring alpine meadows and changed pollinator composition in neighbouring shrub meadows. Trollius ranunculoides in the alpine meadow near oilseed rape received three times more pollinator visits (mainly bees) and consequently had a 16.5% increase in seed set but also received slightly more heterospecific pollen per stigma. In contrast, pollinator visitation to T. ranunculoides in the shrub meadow near oilseed rape was three times lower (mainly flies), leading to a 10.7% lower seed despite no effect on pollen deposition. The proximity to the oilseed rape field intensified pollinator-mediated selection on flower size and weakened selection on flower height of T. ranunculoides in the alpine meadow but did not affect phenotypic selection on either trait in the shrub meadow. Our study highlights context-dependent variation in plant-pollinator interactions close to mass-flowering oilseed rape, suggesting potential effects on the evolution of flower traits of native plants through altered pollinator-mediated selection. However, context dependence may make these effects difficult to predict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhi Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
- Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou China
| | - Xiaoping Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Hui Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Yuxian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Rong Yang
- Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou China
| | - Øystein H. Opedal
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity Unit Lund University Lund Sweden
| | - Zhigang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro‐ecosystems, College of Ecology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
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35
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Linking Beekeepers' and Farmers' Preferences towards Pollination Services in Greek Kiwi Systems. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13050806. [PMID: 36899663 PMCID: PMC10000199 DOI: 10.3390/ani13050806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The kiwi is a highly insect-pollinated dependent crop and is the cornerstone of the Greek agricultural sector, rendering the country as the fourth biggest kiwi producer worldwide, with an expected increase in national production the following years. This extensive transformation of the Greek arable land to Kiwi monocultures in combination with a worldwide shortage of pollination services due to the wild pollinators' decline raises questions for the provision of pollination services, and consequently, for the sustainability of the sector. In many countries, this shortage of pollination services has been addressed by the installation of pollination services markets, such as those in the USA and France. Therefore, this study tries to identify the barriers towards the implementation of a pollination services market in Greek kiwi production systems by conducting two separate quantitative surveys, one for beekeepers and one for kiwi producers. The findings showed a strong basis for further collaboration between the two stakeholders, as both of them acknowledge the importance of pollination services. Moreover, the farmers' willingness to pay and the beekeepers' willingness to receive of the beekeepers regarding the renting of their hives for pollination services were examined.
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36
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Upcott EV, Henrys PA, Redhead JW, Jarvis SG, Pywell RF. A new approach to characterising and predicting crop rotations using national-scale annual crop maps. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160471. [PMID: 36435258 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cropping decisions affect the nature, timing and intensity of agricultural management strategies. Specific crop rotations are associated with different environmental impacts, which can be beneficial or detrimental. The ability to map, characterise and accurately predict rotations enables targeting of mitigation measures where most needed and forecasting of potential environmental risks. Using six years of the national UKCEH Land Cover® plus: Crops maps (2015-2020), we extracted crop sequences for every agricultural field parcel in Great Britain (GB). Our aims were to first characterise spatial patterns in rotation properties over a national scale based on their length, type and structural diversity values, second, to test an approach to predicting the next crop in a rotation, using transition probability matrices, and third, to test these predictions at a range of spatial scales. Strict cyclical rotations only occupy 16 % of all agricultural land, whereas long-term grassland and complex-rotational agriculture each occupy over 40 %. Our rotation classifications display a variety of distinctive spatial patterns among rotation lengths, types and diversity values. Rotations are mostly 5 years in length, short mixed crops are the most abundant rotation type, and high structural diversity is concentrated in east Scotland. Predictions were most accurate when using the most local spatial approach (spatial scaling), 5-year rotations, and including long-term grassland. The prediction framework we built demonstrates that our crop predictions have an accuracy of 36-89 %, equivalent to classification accuracy of national crop and land cover mapping using earth observation, and we suggest this could be improved with additional contextual data. Our results emphasise that rotation complexity is multi-faceted, yet it can be mapped in different ways and forms the basis for further exploration in and beyond agronomy, ecology, and other disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily V Upcott
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB, UK.
| | - Peter A Henrys
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK
| | - John W Redhead
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB, UK
| | - Susan G Jarvis
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Richard F Pywell
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB, UK
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37
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Xu L, Xu X, Kuang H, Liu Y, Xu C, Wu X. Transcriptomics and Metabolomics for Co-Exposure to a Cocktail of Neonicotinoids and the Synergist Piperonyl Butoxide. Anal Chem 2023; 95:3108-3118. [PMID: 36693709 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c05754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Here, the transcriptomics and metabolomics on a model of exposure to a cocktail of neonicotinoids (Neo) containing seven commercial compounds and a synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) were established. The results showed that Neo and PBO disrupted mRNA and metabolite levels in a dose-dependent manner. Neo caused tryptophan pathway-related neurotoxicity, reduced lipolysis, and promoted fat mass accumulation in the liver, while PBO induced an increase in inflammatory factors and damage to intercellular membranes. Co-exposure enhanced Neo-induced liver steatosis, focal necrosis, and oxidative stress by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Furthermore, diglycerides and metabolic biomarkers demonstrated that the activation of insulin signaling is associated with restricted OXPHOS, which commonly leads to a high risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) as the result of over-synthesis of lipids, low energy supply, and high thermogenesis. The study demonstrates that chronic disease can be induced by Neo and the synergist PBO at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Biointerface and Biodetection and School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinxin Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Biointerface and Biodetection and School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China
| | - Hua Kuang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Biointerface and Biodetection and School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China
| | - Ye Liu
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Medical Biology, No. 935, Jiaoling Road, Kunming 650000, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Chuanlai Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Biointerface and Biodetection and School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoling Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,International Joint Research Laboratory for Biointerface and Biodetection and School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, People's Republic of China
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38
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Christen V. Different effects of pesticides on transcripts of the endocrine regulation and energy metabolism in honeybee foragers from different colonies. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1985. [PMID: 36737645 PMCID: PMC9898565 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29257-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Honeybees are important pollinators of many crops and contribute to biological biodiversity. For years, a decline in bee populations has been observed in certain areas. This decline in honeybees is accompanied by a decrease in pollinator services. One factor contributing to the decline of bee colonies is the exposure to pesticides. Pesticide exposure of bees, among other effects, can negatively affect orientation, memory, immune system function and gene expression. Among the altered expressed genes are transcripts of endocrine regulation and oxidative phosphorylation. Endocrine regulation plays an important role in the development of nurse bees into foragers and oxidative phosphorylation is involved in energy metabolism. Most of these transcriptional changes were investigated using mixed aged honeybees derived from the same colony. Experiments using nurse bees or foragers of the same age but from different colonies are rare. In the present study, effects of the two pesticides chlorpyrifos and pyraclostrobin on the expression of transcripts linked to endocrine regulation and oxidative phosphorylation in foragers of the same age from three different colonies are investigated to fill this gap. These two pesticides were selected because negative effects at sublethal concentrations on bees are known and because they are found in pollen and nectar of crops and wild plants. For this purpose, 20-22 days old foragers of three different colonies were exposed to different sublethal concentrations of the selected fungicides for 24 h, followed by analysis of the expression of buffy, vitellogenin, hbg-3, ilp-1, mrjp1, 2 and 3, cox5a, cox5b and cox17. Some significant changes in gene expression of both endocrine regulation transcripts and oxidative phosphorylation were shown. Furthermore, it became clear that forager bees from different colonies react differently. This is especially important in relation to the risk analysis of pesticides. In addition, it could be shown that the expression of hbg-3 in the brain of bees is a robust marker to distinguish nurse bees from foragers at the molecular biological level. In summary, this study clearly shows that pesticides, which are often detected in pollen and nectar, display negative effects at sublethal concentrations on bees and that it is important to use bees from different colonies for risk assessment of pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Christen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Hofackerstrasse 30, 4132, Muttenz, Switzerland.
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39
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Martins CAH, Caliani I, D'Agostino A, Di Noi A, Casini S, Parrilli M, Azpiazu C, Bosch J, Sgolastra F. Biochemical responses, feeding and survival in the solitary bee Osmia bicornis following exposure to an insecticide and a fungicide alone and in combination. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:27636-27649. [PMID: 36383317 PMCID: PMC9995414 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24061-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In agricultural ecosystems, bees are exposed to combinations of pesticides that may have been applied at different times. For example, bees visiting a flowering crop may be chronically exposed to low concentrations of systemic insecticides applied before bloom and then to a pulse of fungicide, considered safe for bees, applied during bloom. In this study, we simulate this scenario under laboratory conditions with females of the solitary bee, Osmia bicornis L. We studied the effects of chronic exposure to the neonicotinoid insecticide, Confidor® (imidacloprid) at a realistic concentration, and of a pulse (1 day) exposure of the fungicide Folicur® SE (tebuconazole) at field application rate. Syrup consumption, survival, and four biomarkers: acetylcholinesterase (AChE), carboxylesterase (CaE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were evaluated at two different time points. An integrated biological response (IBRv2) index was elaborated with the biomarker results. The fungicide pulse had no impact on survival but temporarily reduced syrup consumption and increased the IBRv2 index, indicating potential molecular alterations. The neonicotinoid significantly reduced syrup consumption, survival, and the neurological activity of the enzymes. The co-exposure neonicotinoid-fungicide did not increase toxicity at the tested concentrations. AChE proved to be an efficient biomarker for the detection of early effects for both the insecticide and the fungicide. Our results highlight the importance of assessing individual and sub-individual endpoints to better understand pesticide effects on bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cátia Ariana Henriques Martins
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Università Di Bologna, Viale Fanin 42, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Ilaria Caliani
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Antonella D'Agostino
- Department of Management and Quantitative Studies, University of Naples Parthenope, Naples, Italy
| | - Agata Di Noi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli, 4, 53100, Siena, Italy.
| | - Silvia Casini
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Martina Parrilli
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Università Di Bologna, Viale Fanin 42, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Celeste Azpiazu
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de La Barceloneta 37, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Bosch
- CREAF, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Fabio Sgolastra
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum Università Di Bologna, Viale Fanin 42, 40127, Bologna, Italy
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40
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Siviter H, Linguadoca A, Ippolito A, Muth F. Pesticide licensing in the EU and protecting pollinators. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R44-R48. [PMID: 36693303 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Intensive agriculture is reliant on pesticides to control crop pests, but these chemicals can have negative environmental consequences. This has resulted in repeated calls for pesticide risk assessments to be modified to better protect ecosystem services such as pollination. However, the pesticide licensing process is complex, and consequently there is often confusion between risk assessments where the environmental impact of pesticide use is considered, and risk management where licensing decisions are made. Using bees as a case study, we provide a roadmap for how pesticides are licensed for use in the European Union. By outlining the regulatory process, we highlight key data gaps that need to be addressed to generate a holistic approach to environmental risk assessment. Such an approach is vital to protect pollinators and wildlife more broadly from the unintended consequences of pesticide use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Siviter
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 2415 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - Alberto Linguadoca
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK; European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Pesticides Unit, Via Carlo Magno 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Alessio Ippolito
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Pesticides Unit, Via Carlo Magno 1A, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - Felicity Muth
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 2415 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Stuchi ALPB, Moreira DR, Sinópolis-Gigliolli AA, Galhardo D, Falco JRP, Toledo VDAAD, Ruvolo-Takasusuki MCC. Toxicological evaluation of different pesticides in Tetragonisca angustula Latreille (Hymenoptera, Apidae). ACTA SCIENTIARUM: ANIMAL SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v45i1.58412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula is an important pollinator of different agricultural and native crops. This study evaluated changes in the relative activity of esterases and critical electrolyte concentration in brain cells after exposure to pesticides malathion and thiamethoxam. Lethal concentration 50% showed greater toxicity of thiamethoxam in relation to malathion. Esterases EST-3 and EST-4 (carboxylesterase) were partially inhibited after contamination by contact and ingestion of malathion and contamination by contact with thiamethoxam, suggesting participation of these esterases in the metabolization of these compounds. The lowest critical electrolyte concentration (CEC) was found after contamination by malathion ingestion (0.15 M), indicating changes in gene expression. The alterations observed in the intensity of EST-3 and EST-4 and the chromatin structure indicate that pesticides can act in gene expression and be used as biomarkers of contaminant residues. Furthermore, knowing the susceptibility of T. angustula bees to pesticides, it would be possible to use this species for biomonitoring environmental quality in preserved areas and agroecosystems.
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42
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Scharpf I, Cichocka S, Le DT, von Mikecz A. Peripheral neuropathy, protein aggregation and serotonergic neurotransmission: Distinctive bio-interactions of thiacloprid and thiamethoxam in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 314:120253. [PMID: 36155223 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Due to worldwide production, sales and application, neonicotinoids dominate the global use of insecticides. While, neonicotinoids are considered as pinpoint neurotoxicants that impair cholinergic neurotransmission in pest insects, the sublethal effects on nontarget organisms and other neurotransmitters remain poorly understood. Thus, we investigated long-term neurological outcomes in the decomposer nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In the adult roundworm the neonicotinoid thiacloprid impaired serotonergic and dopaminergic neuromuscular behaviors, while respective exposures to thiamethoxam showed no effects. Thiacloprid caused a concentration-dependent delay of the transition between swimming and crawling locomotion that is controlled by dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission. Age-resolved analyses revealed that impairment of locomotion occurred in young as well as middle-aged worms. Treatment with exogenous serotonin rescued thiacloprid-induced swimming deficits in young worms, whereas additional exposure with silica nanoparticles enhanced the reduction of swimming behavior. Delay of forward locomotion was partly caused by a new paralysis pattern that identified thiacloprid as an agent promoting a specific rigidity of posterior body wall muscle cells and peripheral neuropathy in the nematode (lowest-observed-effect-level 10 ng/ml). On the molecular level exposure with thiacloprid accelerated protein aggregation in body wall muscle cells of polyglutamine disease reporter worms indicating proteotoxic stress. The results from the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans show that assessment of neurotoxicity by neonicotinoids requires acknowledgment and deeper research into dopaminergic and serotonergic neurochemistry of nontarget organisms. Likewise, it has to be considered more that different neonicotinoids may promote diverse neural end points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge Scharpf
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine GmbH, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Sylwia Cichocka
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine GmbH, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Dang Tri Le
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine GmbH, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Anna von Mikecz
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine GmbH, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany.
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43
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Zioga E, White B, Stout JC. Glyphosate used as desiccant contaminates plant pollen and nectar of non-target plant species. Heliyon 2022; 8:e12179. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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44
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Jones SK, Sánchez AC, Beillouin D, Juventia SD, Mosnier A, Remans R, Carmona NE. Achieving win-win outcomes for biodiversity and yield through diversified farming. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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45
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Leach A, Kaplan I. Prioritizing pollinators over pests: wild bees are more important than beetle damage for watermelon yield. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221279. [PMID: 36350210 PMCID: PMC9653259 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect pests and pollinators can interact directly and indirectly to affect crop production; however, impacts of these interactions on marketable yield are little known. Thus, the evaluation of interactions between pests and pollinators are needed to best prioritize management efforts. Over 2 years, we evaluated the impact of pollinator visitation and/or beetle (Acalymma vittatum) infestation on fruit set and yield in seedless watermelon production. In 2020, we tested the main effect of pollinator visitation: two or eight honeybee visits, two wild bee visits, hand pollinated and open pollinated. In 2021, we crossed wild and managed pollinator visitation (two or four honeybee visits, two or four wild bee visits, hand pollinated and open pollinated) with varying beetle infestation levels (0, 3, 6 and 9 beetles/plant). In both years, wild bees contributed significantly to high fruit yields, and exclusive visitation from wild bees increased yield by a factor of 1.5-3 compared to honeybees. In 2021, pollination was the only significant factor for fruit set and marketable yield even when compared to the varying beetle infestation levels. These data advocate for a reprioritization of management, to conserve and protect wild bee pollination, which could be more critical than avoiding pest damage for ensuring high yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Leach
- Department of Entomology, Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Ian Kaplan
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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46
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Rondeau S, Willis Chan DS, Pindar A. Identifying wild bee visitors of major crops in North America with notes on potential threats from agricultural practices. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.943237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Considering the critical importance of insect pollination to food security and documented declines in wild bee populations, it is imperative to develop effective conservation and management strategies that promote the health of wild bee communities associated with agroecosystems. Identifying wild bee visitors of crops, including crop-flower visitors and species that nest within cropping areas, may prove critical to this endeavor as optimal conservation strategies may differ among bee species and/or guilds, regions, and cropping systems. Although lists of bee species that are associated with North American crops are scattered throughout the literature, there is a need for a comprehensive compilation of those species by crop, region, and nesting guild. Here, we searched the literature to compile a list of wild bee species associated with 33 major crops in North America and assessed the overlap in bee species communities among crops and regions. Of the 739 crop-associated bee species retrieved, 405 species (54.8%) were ground nesters, and 438 species (59.3%) were identified as crop-flower visitors of at least one crop. Because of their nesting and foraging behavior, we argue that these species are more likely to be exposed to agricultural pesticide residues than bee species that do not nest in the ground or feed directly on crop flowers. We further compiled lists of wild bees that have been found to be associated with all of the four most surveyed perennial fruit crops (apple, blueberry, cranberry, strawberry) and all of the three most surveyed cucurbit crops (cucumber, Cucurbita, watermelon) in eastern North America. These lists of bee species can be used to focus attention on species needing better protection strategies within agroecosystems, especially for these two important North American crop groups and can also inform the development of multi-species pesticide risk assessment schemes.
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47
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Knauer AC, Alaux C, Allan MJ, Dean RR, Dievart V, Glauser G, Kiljanek T, Michez D, Schwarz JM, Tamburini G, Wintermantel D, Klein AM, Albrecht M. Nutritional stress exacerbates impact of a novel insecticide on solitary bees' behaviour, reproduction and survival. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221013. [PMID: 36476004 PMCID: PMC9554715 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Pesticide exposure and food stress are major threats to bees, but their potential synergistic impacts under field-realistic conditions remain poorly understood and are not considered in current pesticide risk assessments. We conducted a semi-field experiment to examine the single and interactive effects of the novel insecticide flupyradifurone (FPF) and nutritional stress on fitness proxies in the solitary bee Osmia bicornis. Individually marked bees were released into flight cages with monocultures of buckwheat, wild mustard or purple tansy, which were assigned to an insecticide treatment (FPF or control) in a crossed design. Nutritional stress, which was high in bees foraging on buckwheat, intermediate on wild mustard and low on purple tansy, modulated the impact of insecticide exposure. Within the first day after application of FPF, mortality of bees feeding on buckwheat was 29 times higher compared with control treatments, while mortality of FPF exposed and control bees was similar in the other two plant species. Moreover, we found negative synergistic impacts of FPF and nutritional stress on offspring production, flight activity, flight duration and flower visitation frequency. These results reveal that environmental policies and risk assessment schemes that ignore interactions among anthropogenic stressors will fail to adequately protect bees and the pollination services they provide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cedric Alaux
- UR406 Abeilles and Environnement, Site Agroparc, INRAE, Avignon, France
| | | | | | - Virginie Dievart
- UR406 Abeilles and Environnement, Site Agroparc, INRAE, Avignon, France
| | - Gaétan Glauser
- Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Tomasz Kiljanek
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Denis Michez
- Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | | | - Giovanni Tamburini
- Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (DiSSPA—Entomology), University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Dimitry Wintermantel
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Potts J, Jones DL, Macdonald A, Ma Q, Cross P. Acetamiprid fate in a sandy loam with contrasting soil organic matter contents: A comparison of the degradation, sorption and leaching of commercial neonicotinoid formulations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 842:156711. [PMID: 35718179 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of neonicotinoids have generally focussed on the responses of the pure active ingredient. Using a selection of two commercial formulations and the active ingredient, we ran three laboratory studies using 14C-labelled acetamiprid to study the leaching, sorption and mineralisation behaviours of the commercially available neonicotinoid formulations compared to the pure active ingredient. We added 14C-spiked acetamiprid to a sandy loam soil that had received long-term additions of farmyard manure at two rates (10 t/ha/yr and 25 t/ha/yr) and mineral fertilisers, as a control. We found significant differences in acetamiprid mineralisation across both the SOM and chemical treatments. Sorption was primarily impacted by changes in SOM and any differences in leachate recovery were much less significant across both treatment types. The mineralisation of all pesticide formulations was comparatively slow, with <23 % of any given chemical/soil organic matter combination being mineralised over the experimental period. The highest mineralisation rates occurred in samples with the highest soil organic matter levels. The results also showed that 82.9 % ± 1.6 % of the acetamiprid applied was leached from the soil during repeated simulated rainfall events. This combined with the low sorption values, and the low rates of mineralisation, implies that acetamiprid is highly persistent and mobile within sandy soils. As a highly persistent neurotoxin with high invertebrate selectivity, the presence of neonicotinoids in soil presents a high toxicology risk to various beneficial soil organisms, including earthworms, as well as being at high risk of transfer to surrounding watercourses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Potts
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK.
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; SoilsWest, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6105, Australia
| | - Andrew Macdonald
- Sustainable Agriculture Sciences Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Qingxu Ma
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Paul Cross
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
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Quercetin: Its Antioxidant Mechanism, Antibacterial Properties and Potential Application in Prevention and Control of Toxipathy. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27196545. [PMID: 36235082 PMCID: PMC9571766 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27196545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Quercetin, as a flavonol compound found in plants, has a variety of biological activities. It is widely present in nature and the human diet, with powerful oxidative properties and biological activities. In this review, the antioxidant mechanism and broad-spectrum antibacterial properties of quercetin are revealed; the intervention effects of quercetin on pesticide poisoning and the pathway of action are investigated; the toxic effects of main mycotoxins on the collection and the detoxification process of quercetin are summarized; whether it is able to reduce the toxicity of mycotoxins is proved; and the harmful effects of heavy metal poisoning on the collection, the prevention, and control of quercetin are evaluated. This review is expected to enrich the understanding of the properties of quercetin and promote its better application in clinical practice.
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50
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Herbertsson L, Klatt BK, Blasi M, Rundlöf M, Smith HG. Seed-coating of rapeseed (Brassica napus) with the neonicotinoid clothianidin affects behaviour of red mason bees (Osmia bicornis) and pollination of strawberry flowers (Fragaria × ananassa). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273851. [PMID: 36074788 PMCID: PMC9455870 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Neonicotinoid insecticides applied to flowering crops can have negative impacts on bees, with implications for crop pollination. To assess if exposure to the neonicotinoid clothianidin via a treated crop (rapeseed) affected bee behaviour, pollination performance (to strawberry), and bee reproduction, we provided each of 12 outdoor cages with rapeseed (autumn-sown plants complemented with a few spring-sown plants to extend the flowering period) grown from either clothianidin-treated or untreated (control) seeds, together with strawberry plants and a small population of red mason bees (Osmia bicornis). We expected clothianidin to reduce bee foraging activity, resulting in impaired strawberry pollination and bee reproduction. During the early stage of the experiment, we observed no difference between treatments in the length of entire foraging trips, or the combined number of rapeseed and strawberry flowers that the bees visited during these trips. During the later stage of the experiment, we instead determined the time a female took to visit 10 rapeseed flowers, as a proxy for foraging performance. We found that they were 10% slower in clothianidin cages. Strawberries weighed less in clothianidin cages, suggesting reduced pollination performance, but we were unable to relate this to reduced foraging activity, because the strawberry flowers received equally many visits in the two treatments. Clothianidin-exposed females sealed their nests less often, but offspring number, sex ratio and weight were similar between treatments. Observed effects on bee behaviour appeared by the end of the experiment, possibly because of accumulated effects of exposure, reduced bee longevity, or higher sensitivity of the protocols we used during the later phase of the experiment. Although the lack of a mechanistic explanation calls for interpreting the results with cautiousness, the lower strawberry weight in clothianidin cages highlights the importance of understanding complex effects of plant protection products, which could have wider consequences than those on directly exposed organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Herbertsson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- * E-mail: (LH); (BKK); (MB)
| | - Björn K. Klatt
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- * E-mail: (LH); (BKK); (MB)
| | - Maria Blasi
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- * E-mail: (LH); (BKK); (MB)
| | - Maj Rundlöf
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Henrik G. Smith
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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