Imidacloprid impairs memory and brain metabolism in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.)

Decourtye, Axel; Armengaud, Catherine; Renou, Michel; Devillers, James; Cluzeau, S.; Gauthier, M.; Pham-Delègue, M.H.

doi:10.1016/j.pestbp.2003.10.001

Cited by 242 publications

(194 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Given the strong evolutionary conservation of this enzyme [35], the temporal and spatial activity profiles and distribution of COX in the brains of animals in diverse taxa is most probably similar. Indeed, patterns of COX activity in different honeybee [67,68] and fly [69] brain compartments resemble those we present here for ants. Oecophylla smaragdina major workers tended to have lower total brain metabolic activity than F. subsericea workers, as revealed by COX analyses.…”

Section: (B) Colony-level Social Organization and Brain Evolutionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Social complexity influences brain investment and neural operation costs in ants

et al. 2016

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The metabolic expense of producing and operating neural tissue required for adaptive behaviour is considered a significant selective force in brain evolution. In primates, brain size correlates positively with group size, presumably owing to the greater cognitive demands of complex social relationships in large societies. Social complexity in eusocial insects is also associated with large groups, as well as collective intelligence and division of labour among sterile workers. However, superorganism phenotypes may lower cognitive demands on behaviourally specialized workers resulting in selection for decreased brain size and/or energetic costs of brain metabolism. To test this hypothesis, we compared brain investment patterns and cytochrome oxidase (COX) activity, a proxy for ATP usage, in two ant species contrasting in social organization. Socially complex Oecophylla smaragdina workers had larger brain size and relative investment in the mushroom bodies (MBs)-higher order sensory processing compartments-than the more socially basic Formica subsericea workers. Oecophylla smaragdina workers, however, had reduced COX activity in the MBs. Our results suggest that as in primates, ant group size is associated with large brain size. The elevated costs of investment in metabolically expensive brain tissue in the socially complex O. smaragdina, however, appear to be offset by decreased energetic costs.

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Section: (B) Colony-level Social Organization and Brain Evolutionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Social complexity influences brain investment and neural operation costs in ants

et al. 2016

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“…31) The LD 50 of fipronil to the honeybee Apis mellifera has been reported to be either 4 or 6.2 ng/bee. 1,33) At very low doses (e.g., 0.6 g a.i./ha) fipronil can effectively control adult grasshopper (Pyrgomorpha cognate) outbreaks; application rates of 1-2 g a.i./ha resulted in high mortality rates, with more than 90% of the insects disappearing within 3-10 days. 34) An increase in mortality in a shorter time period was also found with higher doses in the same study.…”

Section: Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental fate and toxicology of fipronil

Gunasekara¹,

Truong²,

et al. 2007

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“…[8,9,24,25] whereas potential impacts on other pollinators such as bumblebees are as yet poorly known [13,26]. In addition to honeybees, bumblebees play a major role in providing pollinating services to wild and crop plants [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic neonicotinoid pesticide exposure and parasite stress differentially affects learning in honeybees and bumblebees

Piiroinen¹,

Goulson²

2016

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Learning and memory are crucial functions which enable insect pollinators to efficiently locate and extract floral rewards. Exposure to pesticides or infection by parasites may cause subtle but ecologically important changes in cognitive functions of pollinators. The potential interactive effects of these stressors on learning and memory have not yet been explored. Furthermore, sensitivity to stressors may differ between species, but few studies have compared responses in different species. Here, we show that chronic exposure to fieldrealistic levels of the neonicotinoid clothianidin impaired olfactory learning acquisition in honeybees, leading to potential impacts on colony fitness, but not in bumblebees. Infection by the microsporidian parasite Nosema ceranae slightly impaired learning in honeybees, but no interactive effects were observed. Nosema did not infect bumblebees (3% infection success). Nevertheless, Nosema-treated bumblebees had a slightly lower rate of learning than controls, but faster learning in combination with neonicotinoid exposure. This highlights the potential for complex interactive effects of stressors on learning. Our results underline that one cannot readily extrapolate findings from one bee species to others. This has important implications for regulatory risk assessments which generally use honeybees as a model for all bees.

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Imidacloprid impairs memory and brain metabolism in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.)

Cited by 242 publications

References 28 publications

Social complexity influences brain investment and neural operation costs in ants

Social complexity influences brain investment and neural operation costs in ants

Environmental fate and toxicology of fipronil

Chronic neonicotinoid pesticide exposure and parasite stress differentially affects learning in honeybees and bumblebees

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