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Neonicotinoid pesticide limits improvement in buzz pollination by bumblebees

Whitehorn, Penelope R. 1; Wallace, C.; Vallejo-Marín, Mario
1 Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung – Atmosphärische Umweltforschung (IMK-IFU), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Abstract:

Neonicotinoid pesticides have been linked to global declines of beneficial insects such as bumblebees. Exposure to trace levels of these chemicals causes sub-lethal effects, such as reduced learning and foraging efficiency. Complex behaviours may be particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of neonicotinoids. Such behaviours may include buzz pollination (sonication), in which pollinators, usually bees, use innate and learned behaviours to generate high-frequency vibrations to release pollen from flowers with specialised anther morphologies. This study assesses the effect of field-realistic, chronic exposure to the widely-used neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on the development of sonication buzz characteristics over time, as well as the collection of pollen from buzz-pollinated flowers. We found that the pollen collection of exposed bees improved less with increasing experience than that of unexposed bees, with exposed bees collecting between 47% and 56% less pollen by the end of 10 trials. We also found evidence of two distinct strategies for maximising pollen collection: (1) extensions to the duration of individual buzzes and (2) extensions of the overall time spent buzzing. ... mehr


Verlagsausgabe §
DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000077375
Veröffentlicht am 13.03.2018
Originalveröffentlichung
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14660-x
Scopus
Zitationen: 27
Web of Science
Zitationen: 31
Dimensions
Zitationen: 30
Cover der Publikation
Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung – Atmosphärische Umweltforschung (IMK-IFU)
KIT-Zentrum Klima und Umwelt (ZKU)
Publikationstyp Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Publikationsjahr 2017
Sprache Englisch
Identifikator ISSN: 2045-2322
urn:nbn:de:swb:90-773755
KITopen-ID: 1000077375
HGF-Programm 12.02.02 (POF III, LK 01) Vegetation climate- and land use system
Erschienen in Scientific reports
Verlag Nature Research
Band 7
Heft 1
Seiten Article no 15562
Nachgewiesen in Web of Science
Dimensions
Scopus
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