Macronutrient balance has opposing effects on cognition and survival in honey bees

Bouchebti, Sofia; Wright, Geraldine A.; Shafir, Sharoni

doi:10.1111/1365-2435.14143

Cited by 17 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Moreover, when using this diet, the highest mortality compared to other feeding variants was observed starting from the 10th day (Figure 2). These results are consistent with the data that an optimal ratio between carbohydrate and protein content in the feed is necessary for high survival of worker bees, while consuming diets high in EAAs (Paoli et al, 2014) or proteins (Bouchebti et al, 2022) leads to a shortened life span of worker honey bees. Accordingly, it can be assumed that the concentration of amino acids we used in the diet 2 was too high and thus did not lead to an increase in the bee survival rate compared to the control group.…”

Section: Effect Of Diet On the Lifespan Of Worker Beessupporting

confidence: 91%

Increased survival of honey bees consuming pollen and beebread is associated with elevated biomarkers of oxidative stress

Yazlovytska

Karavan²,

Domaciuk³

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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IntroductionSignificant losses of honey bee colonies have been observed worldwide in recent decades. Inadequate nutrition is considered to be one of the factors that can reduce honey bee resistance to abiotic and biotic environmental stresses. Accordingly, we assessed the impact of food composition on worker bee survival.MethodsBees in cages were fed six different diets, and then their survival, levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and protein carbonyl groups, catalase and lysozyme activities were evaluated.Results and DiscussionAfter 17 days of feeding, the lowest mortality was observed in the group of bees that received sucrose solution with the addition of willow pollen or artificial rapeseed beebread or artificial willow beebread (diets 4–6). The highest mortality was found in bees that consumed only sucrose solution (diet 1) or the sucrose solution supplemented with a mixture of amino acids (diet 2), which can be explained by the lack of vitamins and microelements in these diets. In the group of bees that received the sucrose solution with rapeseed pollen (diet 3), mortality was intermediate. To check whether the decrease in insect survival could be related to oxidative damage, we evaluated biomarkers of oxidative stress. Consumption of pollen (diets 3 and 5) and artificial beebread (diets 4 and 6) enhances protein carbonylation in worker bees. Feeding bees artificial beebread also resulted in increase in lipid peroxidation and catalase activity, which is probably due to the presence of hydrogen peroxide in the honey contained in beebread. Remarkably, the increase in biomarkers of oxidative stress was not accompanied by adverse but positive effects on insect survival. A lack of amino acids and proteins in the diet 1 did not cause oxidative stress, but led to an increase in lysozyme activity in hemolymph, a biomarker of immune system status. In conclusion, we believe that the increase in oxidative stress biomarkers we found do not indicate oxidative damage, but rather reflect the changes in redox balance due to consumption of certain dietary options.

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Section: Effect Of Diet On the Lifespan Of Worker Beessupporting

confidence: 91%

Increased survival of honey bees consuming pollen and beebread is associated with elevated biomarkers of oxidative stress

Yazlovytska

Karavan²,

Domaciuk³

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…This phenomenon was observed in ants and suggested to be a way to increase daily intake in tryptophan ( Csata et al , 2020 ). An alternative, but non-mutually exclusive, hypothesis is that bumble bee workers from the LT and MT diet may have increased their food intake on Day 18, just before dying, a phenomenon observed in honey bees ( Bouchebti et al , 2022 ). Finally, considering that tryptophan (as a precursor of serotonin) is known to control appetite ( French et al , 2014 ), the strong deficiency of tryptophan in the LT and MT diets may also have led to a loss in the down regulation of appetite and a consequent increase in food intake over time, cumulating at Day 18 in our experiment ( French et al , 2014 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplementation in vitamin B3 counteracts the negative effects of tryptophan deficiencies in bumble bees

Tissier

Kraus

Gómez‐Moracho

et al. 2023

Conservation Physiology

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Increasing evidence highlights the importance of diet content in nine essential amino acids for bee physiological and behavioural performance. However, the 10th essential amino acid, tryptophan, has been overlooked as its experimental measurement requires a specific hydrolysis. Tryptophan is the precursor of serotonin and vitamin B3, which together modulate cognitive and metabolic functions in most animals. Here, we investigated how tryptophan deficiencies influence the behaviour and survival of bumble bees (Bombus terrestris). Tryptophan-deficient diets led to a moderate increase in food intake, aggressiveness and mortality compared with the control diet. Vitamin B3 supplementation in tryptophan-deficient diets tended to buffer these effects by significantly improving survival and reducing aggressiveness. Considering that the pollens of major crops and common plants, such as corn and dandelion, are deficient in tryptophan, these effects could have a strong impact on bumble bee populations and their pollination service. Our results suggest planting tryptophan and B3 rich species next to tryptophan-deficient crops could support wild bee populations.

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“…Diets high in proline have been linked to faster development rates in bee broods, suggesting that proline could reduce the time required for bees to reach maturity (Stec et al, 2021). Additionally, proline acts as a potent feeding stimulant, influencing honey bees' dietary choices and contributing to key reproductive functions, such as egg-laying in queens (Bouchebti et al, 2022). The prevalence of proline in both pollen and nectar highlights its integral role in bee health and the broader pollination ecology.…”

Section: Role Of Amino Acids On Bee Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary foundations for pollinators: nutritional profiling of plants for bee health

Stephen,

Chau,

Rehan

2024

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Human activities, including urban expansion, intensive farming practices, and the application of pesticides have significantly reshaped bee habitats. Understanding the nutritional content of pollen, the primary source of bees’ proteins and lipids, is important for maintaining their diet and health. In this study, we set out to determine the nutritional composition of pollen from various plant families and genera. Our objectives were to analyze the levels of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), amino acids (AAs), protein-to-lipid (P:L) ratios, and omega-6:3 ratios of 57 pollen species native to North America. These data suggest a potential trade-off between NEFA and AA content within pollen, suggesting that a diverse floral diet may benefit bees more than a single pollen source. The AA profiles showed considerable diversity, with all pollen species providing the essential amino acids (EAAs) required for bee health, except for methionine which was lacking in Rhus glabra pollen. The plant family Asteraceae was especially abundant in EAAs. P:L ratios varied widely further emphasizing bees’ need for access to a diverse array of nutritional profiles. There were no overall nutritional differences between pollen from native and introduced plant species. This study highlights the significance of a diverse array of floral resources to meet the comprehensive nutritional needs of bees, contributing to the support of pollinator populations and the broader ecological system.

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Macronutrient balance has opposing effects on cognition and survival in honey bees

Cited by 17 publications

References 80 publications

Increased survival of honey bees consuming pollen and beebread is associated with elevated biomarkers of oxidative stress

Increased survival of honey bees consuming pollen and beebread is associated with elevated biomarkers of oxidative stress

Supplementation in vitamin B3 counteracts the negative effects of tryptophan deficiencies in bumble bees

Dietary foundations for pollinators: nutritional profiling of plants for bee health

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