1
|
Parkinson RH, Scott J, Dorling AL, Jones H, Haslam M, McDermott-Roberts AE, Wright GA. Mouthparts of the bumblebee ( Bombus terrestris) exhibit poor acuity for the detection of pesticides in nectar. eLife 2023; 12:RP89129. [PMID: 38109195 PMCID: PMC10727498 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89129] [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] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Bees are important pollinators of agricultural crops, but their populations are at risk when pesticides are used. One of the largest risks bees face is poisoning of floral nectar and pollen by insecticides. Studies of bee detection of neonicotinoids have reported contradictory evidence about whether bees can taste these pesticides in sucrose solutions and hence avoid them. Here, we use an assay for the detection of food aversion combined with single-sensillum electrophysiology to test whether the mouthparts of the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) detect the presence of pesticides in a solution that mimicked the nectar of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Bees did not avoid consuming solutions containing concentrations of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, or sulfoxaflor spanning six orders of magnitude, even when these solutions contained lethal doses. Only extremely high concentrations of the pesticides altered spiking in gustatory neurons through a slight reduction in firing rate or change in the rate of adaptation. These data provide strong evidence that bumblebees cannot detect or avoid field-relevant concentrations of pesticides using information from their mouthparts. As bees rarely contact floral nectar with other body parts, we predict that they are at high risk of unwittingly consuming pesticides in the nectar of pesticide-treated crops.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer Scott
- Department of Biology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Anna L Dorling
- Department of Biology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Hannah Jones
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial CollegeLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Martha Haslam
- Department of Biology, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Paula MCD, Batista NR, Cunha DADS, Santos PGD, Antonialli-Junior WF, Cardoso CAL, Simionatto E. Impacts of the insecticide thiamethoxam on the native stingless bee Plebeia catamarcensis (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 339:122742. [PMID: 37839683 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122742] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural production and the indiscriminate use of insecticides such as thiamethoxam have put at risk the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by bees, including native stingless species. Since most of the native species do not present economic importance, they may suffer "silent extinction", due to lack of monitoring of their colonies. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the lethal and sublethal concentrations of the insecticide thiamethoxam, with evaluation of its sublethal effects on mobility, in the stingless bee Plebeia catamarcensis (Holmberg, 1903). Foraging bees were collected and exposed to thiamethoxam to determine lethal (LC50) and sublethal concentrations. The 24 h LC50 was 0.408 ng a.i./μL, a value demonstrating that this species may be as sensitive as other stingless bees already studied. Sublethal concentrations influenced the locomotion abilities of the bees, making them hyperactive when exposed to LC50/10 and lethargic when exposed to LC50/100. The effects of sublethal concentrations on individuals may have collective consequences, especially in colonies with few individuals, as is the case of P. catamarcensis. The findings reinforce the hypothesis that thiamethoxam may contribute to the decline of native stingless bees, which can be significantly impacted when chronically exposed to agricultural production systems that use this insecticide, consequently affecting the ecosystem services provided by these bees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Castro de Paula
- Laboratório de Óleos e Extratos (LAPOEX), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais (PGRN), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), CEP, 79950-000, Naviraí, MS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais (PGRN), Centro de Estudos em Recursos Naturais (CERNA), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), PC 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
| | - Nathan Rodrigues Batista
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental (LABECO), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), CP 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD), PC 533, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
| | - Dayana Alves da Silva Cunha
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais (PGRN), Centro de Estudos em Recursos Naturais (CERNA), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), PC 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental (LABECO), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), CP 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
| | - Poliana Galvão Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental (LABECO), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), CP 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD), PC 533, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
| | - William Fernando Antonialli-Junior
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais (PGRN), Centro de Estudos em Recursos Naturais (CERNA), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), PC 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil; Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental (LABECO), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), CP 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD), PC 533, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
| | - Claudia Andrea Lima Cardoso
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais (PGRN), Centro de Estudos em Recursos Naturais (CERNA), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), PC 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
| | - Euclésio Simionatto
- Laboratório de Óleos e Extratos (LAPOEX), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais (PGRN), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), CEP, 79950-000, Naviraí, MS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Naturais (PGRN), Centro de Estudos em Recursos Naturais (CERNA), Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS), PC 351, CEP, 79804-970, Dourados, MS, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Michaiel AM, Bernard A. Neurobiology and changing ecosystems: Toward understanding the impact of anthropogenic influences on neurons and circuits. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:995354. [PMID: 36569799 PMCID: PMC9769128 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.995354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid anthropogenic environmental changes, including those due to habitat contamination, degradation, and climate change, have far-reaching effects on biological systems that may outpace animals' adaptive responses. Neurobiological systems mediate interactions between animals and their environments and evolved over millions of years to detect and respond to change. To gain an understanding of the adaptive capacity of nervous systems given an unprecedented pace of environmental change, mechanisms of physiology and behavior at the cellular and biophysical level must be examined. While behavioral changes resulting from anthropogenic activity are becoming increasingly described, identification and examination of the cellular, molecular, and circuit-level processes underlying those changes are profoundly underexplored. Hence, the field of neuroscience lacks predictive frameworks to describe which neurobiological systems may be resilient or vulnerable to rapidly changing ecosystems, or what modes of adaptation are represented in our natural world. In this review, we highlight examples of animal behavior modification and corresponding nervous system adaptation in response to rapid environmental change. The underlying cellular, molecular, and circuit-level component processes underlying these behaviors are not known and emphasize the unmet need for rigorous scientific enquiry into the neurobiology of changing ecosystems.
Collapse
|