A new exposure protocol adapted for wild bees reveals species-specific impacts of the sulfoximine insecticide sulfoxaflor
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 st...
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Published in | Ecotoxicology (London) Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 546 - 559 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
New York
Springer US
01.08.2024
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | 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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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0963-9292 1573-3017 1573-3017 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10646-024-02750-2 |