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ViewAttendees 9

PBT

Section Symposium

Evaluating Sublethal Effects of Agrochemicals on Pollinators

12: Consumption of a widely used mito-toxic fungicide reduces thorax mass and negatively impacts maximal flight capacities of the honey bee (Apis mellifera)

On-Demand
On-Demand
Insect pollinators, such as the honey bee (Apis mellifera) - a well-studied and tractable obligatory insect pollinator - are in decline, due in part to regular exposure to agrochemicals, such as fungicides. In this study we investigated the effects of consumption of pollen treated with a widely used fungicide, Pristine® - whose active ingredients are boscalid and pyraclostrobin, both mitochondrial inhibitors - on the morphology and flight performance (in a range of air densities) of honey bee workers. We tested a concentration of Pristine® (2.3 ppm) in the low range of levels found in corbicular pollen collected from bees foraging in California almond orchards sprayed with this fungicide, and a concentration a couple of orders of magnitude higher (230 ppm) than measured field detections. Low air densities challenged flight behavior and increased fight metabolic rates, revealing a negative effect of Pristine® treatment on flight capacities, though these were only significant at the highest dose. Pristine® consumption (either dose) also caused bees to have smaller thoraxes, potentially reducing load carrying capacity. Thorax masses and air density interactively affected flight metabolic rate, because smaller bees had a greater aerobic scope to utilize as power requirements increased as air density decreased. While high doses of Pristine® clearly reduced flight capacities, we found that field-relevant doses reduced thorax mass without affecting flight metabolic rates or capacities to fly in low-density air.