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Manzer S, Thamm M, Hilsmann L, Krischke B, Steffan-Dewenter I, Scheiner R. The neonicotinoid acetamiprid reduces larval and adult survival in honeybees (Apis mellifera) and interacts with a fungicide mixture. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024:124643. [PMID: 39097258 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
Plant protection products (PPPs1), which are frequently used in agriculture, can be major stressors for honeybees. They have been found abundantly in the beehive, particularly in pollen. Few studies have analysed effects on honeybee larvae, and little is known about effects of insecticide-fungicide-mixtures, although this is a highly realistic exposure scenario. We asked whether the combination of a frequently used insecticide and fungicides would affect developing bees. Honeybee larvae (Apis mellifera carnica) were reared in vitro on larval diets containing different PPPs at two concentrations, derived from residues found in pollen. We used the neonicotinoid acetamiprid, the combined fungicides boscalid/dimoxystrobin and the mixture of all three substances. Mortality was assessed at larval, pupal, and adult stages, and the size and weight of newly emerged bees was measured. The insecticide treatment in higher concentrations significantly reduced larval and adult survival. Interestingly, survival was not affected by the high concentrated insecticide-fungicides-mixture However, negative synergistic effects on adult survival were caused by the low concentrated insecticide-fungicides-mixture, which had no effect when applied alone. The lower concentrated combined fungicides led to significantly lighter adult bees, although the survival was unaffected. Our results suggest that environmental relevant concentrations can be harmful to honeybees. To fully understand the interaction of different PPPs, more combinations and concentrations should be studied in social and solitary bees with possibly different sensitivities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Manzer
- Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Markus Thamm
- Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Lioba Hilsmann
- Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Beate Krischke
- Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ricarda Scheiner
- Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology, Biocenter, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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Chen X, Li A, Yin L, Ke L, Dai P, Liu YJ. Early-Life Sublethal Thiacloprid Exposure to Honey Bee Larvae: Enduring Effects on Adult Bee Cognitive Abilities. TOXICS 2023; 12:18. [PMID: 38250974 PMCID: PMC10820931 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12010018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Honey bees have significant ecological and economic value as important pollinators, but they are continuously exposed to various environmental stressors, including insecticides, which can impair their health and cause colony decline. (1) Background: Cognitive abilities are vital for the functional maintenance of honey bees; however, it remains unknown if chronic, low-dose exposure to thiacloprid during the larval stage impairs the cognitive abilities of emerged adult honey bees. (2) Methods: To explore this question, honey bee larvae were fed 0, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L thiacloprid during their developmental phase. Then, the cognitive (i.e., olfactory learning and memory) abilities of adult honey bees were quantified to assess the delayed impacts of early-stage thiacloprid exposure on adult honey bee cognition. Neural apoptosis and transcriptomic level were also evaluated to explore the neurological mechanisms underlying these effects. (3) Results: Our results revealed that chronic larval exposure to sublethal thiacloprid impaired the learning and memory abilities of adult honey bees by inducing neuronal apoptosis and transcriptomic alterations. (4) Conclusions: We highlighted a previously unknown impairment caused by thiacloprid in honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Yong-Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
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Favaro R, Garrido PM, Bruno D, Braglia C, Alberoni D, Baffoni L, Tettamanti G, Porrini MP, Di Gioia D, Angeli S. Combined effect of a neonicotinoid insecticide and a fungicide on honeybee gut epithelium and microbiota, adult survival, colony strength and foraging preferences. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167277. [PMID: 37741399 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167277] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Fungicides, insecticides and herbicides are widely used in agriculture to counteract pathogens and pests. Several of these molecules are toxic to non-target organisms such as pollinators and their lethal dose can be lowered if applied as a mixture. They can cause large and unpredictable problems, spanning from behavioural changes to alterations in the gut. The present work aimed at understanding the synergistic effects on honeybees of a combined in-hive exposure to sub-lethal doses of the insecticide thiacloprid and the fungicide penconazole. A multidisciplinary approach was used: honeybee mortality upon exposure was initially tested in cage, and the colonies development monitored. Morphological and ultrastructural analyses via light and transmission electron microscopy were carried out on the gut of larvae and forager honeybees. Moreover, the main pollen foraging sources and the fungal gut microbiota were studied using Next Generation Sequencing; the gut core bacterial taxa were quantified via qPCR. The mortality test showed a negative effect on honeybee survival when exposed to agrochemicals and their mixture in cage but not confirmed at colony level. Microscopy analyses on the gut epithelium indicated no appreciable morphological changes in larvae, newly emerged and forager honeybees exposed in field to the agrochemicals. Nevertheless, the gut microbial profile showed a reduction of Bombilactobacillus and an increase of Lactobacillus and total fungi upon mixture application. Finally, we highlighted for the first time a significant honeybee diet change after pesticide exposure: penconazole, alone or in mixture, significantly altered the pollen foraging preference, with honeybees preferring Hedera pollen. Overall, our in-hive results showed no severe effects upon administration of sublethal doses of thiacloprid and penconazole but indicate a change in honeybees foraging preference. A possible explanation can be that the different nutritional profile of the pollen may offer better recovery chances to honeybees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Favaro
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Paula Melisa Garrido
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Mar del Plata, Argentina; Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Daniele Bruno
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, via J.H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Chiara Braglia
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniele Alberoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Loredana Baffoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Gianluca Tettamanti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, via J.H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy; Interuniversity Center for Studies on Bioinspired Agro-environmental Technology (BAT Center), University of Napoli Federico II, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Martin Pablo Porrini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Producción Sanidad y Ambiente (IIPROSAM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata, CONICET, Centro de Asociación Simple CIC PBA, Mar del Plata, Argentina; Centro de Investigaciones en Abejas Sociales, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Diana Di Gioia
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 44, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Sergio Angeli
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen, Bolzano, Italy
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Lu Y, Gao J, Wu T, Han B, Qian B, Shi M, Yang S, Diao Q, Bu C, Dai P. Exposure of chlorothalonil and acetamiprid reduce the survival and cause multiple internal disturbances in Apis mellifera larvae reared in vitro. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1114403. [PMID: 36860521 PMCID: PMC9968791 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1114403] [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: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Chlorothalonil and acetamiprid are chemical pesticides commonly used in agricultural production and have been shown to have negative effects on bee's fitness. Despite many studies have revealed that honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) larvae are posting a high risk on exposure to pesticides, but the toxicology information of chlorothalonil and acetamiprid on bee larvae remain limited. Results: The no observed adverse effect concentration (NOAEC) of chlorothalonil and acetamiprid for honey bee larvae were 4 μg/mL and 2 μg/mL, respectively. Except for CarE, the enzymic activities of GST and P450 were not influenced by chlorothalonil at NOAEC, while chronic exposure to acetamiprid slightly increased the activities of the three tested enzymes at NOAEC. Further, the exposed larvae showed significantly higher expression of genes involved in a series of different toxicologically relevant process following, including caste development (Tor (GB44905), InR-2 (GB55425), Hr4 (GB47037), Ac3 (GB11637) and ILP-2 (GB10174)), immune system response (abaecin (GB18323), defensin-1 (GB19392), toll-X4 (GB50418)), and oxidative stress response (P450, GSH, GST, CarE). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the exposure to chlorothalonil and acetamiprid, even at concentrations below the NOAEC, showed potentially effects on bee larvae's fitness, and more important synergistic and behavioral effects that can affect larvae fitness should be explored in the further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Lu
- Key Laboratory of Northern Urban Agriculture of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Bioscience and Resource Environment, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China,Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Gao
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Han
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bingnan Qian
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Min Shi
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Sa Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qingyun Diao
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chunya Bu
- Key Laboratory of Northern Urban Agriculture of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Bioscience and Resource Environment, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Chunya Bu, ; Pingli Dai,
| | - Pingli Dai
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Chunya Bu, ; Pingli Dai,
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Ke L, Chen X, Dai P, Liu YJ. Chronic larval exposure to thiacloprid impairs honeybee antennal selectivity, learning and memory performances. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1114488. [PMID: 37153228 PMCID: PMC10157261 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1114488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of agricultural neonicotinoid insecticides has sub-lethal chronic effects on bees that are more prevalent than acute toxicity. Among these insecticides, thiacloprid, a commonly used compound with low toxicity, has attracted significant attention due to its potential impact on the olfactory and learning abilities of honeybees. The effect of sub-lethal larval exposure to thiacloprid on the antennal activity of adult honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) is not yet fully understood. To address this knowledge gap, laboratory-based experiments were conducted in which honeybee larvae were administered thiacloprid (0.5 mg/L and 1.0 mg/L). Using electroantennography (EAG), the impacts of thiacloprid exposure on the antennal selectivity to common floral volatiles were evaluated. Additionally, the effects of sub-lethal exposure on odor-related learning and memory were also assessed. The results of this study reveal, for the first time, that sub-lethal larval exposure to thiacloprid decreased honeybee antenna EAG responses to floral scents, leading to increased olfactory selectivity in the high-dose (1.0 mg/L) group compared to the control group (0 mg/L vs. 1.0 mg/L: p = 0.042). The results also suggest that thiacloprid negatively affected odor-associated paired learning acquisition, as well as medium-term (1 h) (0 mg/L vs. 1.0 mg/L: p = 0.019) and long-term memory (24 h) (0 mg/L vs. 1.0 mg/L: p = 0.037) in adult honeybees. EAG amplitudes were dramatically reduced following R-linalool paired olfactory training (0 mg/L vs. 1.0 mg/L: p = 0.001; 0 mg/L vs. 0.5 mg/L: p = 0.027), while antennal activities only differed significantly in the control between paired and unpaired groups. Our results indicated that exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of thiacloprid may affect olfactory perception and learning and memory behaviors in honeybees. These findings have important implications for the safe use of agrochemicals in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Ke
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiasang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Pingli Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yong-Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Yong-Jun Liu,
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