Sporopollenin as a dilution agent in artificial diets for solitary bees

Tainsh, Fiona; Woodmansey, Shannon R.; Austin, Alexander J.; Bagnall, Toby E.; Gilbert, James D. J.

doi:10.1007/s13592-020-00801-1

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Diets were diluted with sporopollenin, the primary constituent of the exine of pollen (Mackenzie et al, 2015) and an extraordinarily stable natural polymer, in the form of hollow capsules prepared in collaboration with Sporomex ® (sporo mex.co.uk) and crushed in a ball mill. Sporopollenin is known to be non-toxic to humans (Diego-Taboada et al, 2013), but is a novel dietary diluent for bees; we have demonstrated its suitability in a separate study (Tainsh et al, 2020). For a more detailed description of sporopollenin preparation, see supplementary methods.…”

Section: Diet Formulationmentioning

confidence: 77%

Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen

Austin

Gilbert

2021

Functional Ecology

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Most organisms must regulate their nutritional intake in an environment full of complex food choices. While this process is well‐understood for self‐sufficient organisms, dependent offspring, such as bee larvae, in practice have limited food choices because food is provided by parents. Nutrient balancing may therefore be achieved by offspring, by parents on offspring's behalf, or by both, whether cooperatively or in conflict. We used the Geometric Framework to investigate the capacity of dependent larval mason bees Osmia bicornis to regulate their intake of protein and carbohydrate, as well as these nutrients' effects upon growth and survival. Female Osmia seal eggs individually inside cells they have provisioned with pollen, and have no contact with developing offspring, allowing offspring choices to be studied in isolation. Herbivorous insect larvae are typically expected to balance protein and carbohydrate to maximize growth and reproduction. Contrary to prediction, carbohydrate and not protein mediated both growth and survival to pupation. Accordingly, larvae prioritized maintaining a constant intake of carbohydrate and self‐selected a relatively carbohydrate‐biased diet compared to other hymenopterans, while tolerating wide excesses and deficiencies of protein, rendering them potentially vulnerable to dietary change or manipulation. Reasons for prioritizing carbohydrate may include (a) the relative abundance of protein in their normal pollen diet, (b) the relative paucity of nectar in parental provisions making carbohydrate a scarce resource or (c) the requirement for diapause for all O. bicornis larvae. Larvae were intolerant of moderate dietary dilution, likely reflecting an evolutionary history of nutrient‐dense food. Our results demonstrate that dependent offspring can remain active participants in balancing their own nutrients even when sedentary, and, moreover, even in mass provisioning systems where parents and offspring have no physical contact. Research should now focus on whether and how evolutionary interests of parent and dependent offspring coincide or conflict with respect to food composition, and the implications for species' resilience to changing environments. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Section: Diet Formulationmentioning

confidence: 77%

Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen

Austin

Gilbert

2021

Functional Ecology

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“…Indeed, the effects of a poor diet are multifold. Pollen diversity and quality directly affect the colony development, the reproduction, and the physiology of bees [11,[26][27][28]. Furthermore, pollen provisions and access to pollen are directly linked, with any decreases in these two factors being shown to result in reduced body size, a key fitness component in pollinators [26,[29][30][31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land-use stress alters cuticular chemical surface profile and morphology in the bumble bee Bombus lapidarius

et al. 2022

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Pollinators and other insects are currently undergoing a massive decline. Several stressors are thought to be of importance in this decline, with those having close relationships to agricultural management and practice seemingly playing key roles. In the present study, we sampled Bombus lapidarius L. workers in grasslands differing in their management intensity and management regime across three different regions along a north-south gradient in Germany. We analyzed the bees with regard to (1) their cuticular hydrocarbon profile (because of its important role in communication in social insects) and amount of scent by using gas chromatography and (2) the size of each individual by using wing distances as a proxy for body size. Our analysis revealed changes related to land-use intensity and temperature in the cuticular scent profile of bumble bees. Decreasing body size and increasing total scent amount were explained by an interaction of land-use intensity and study region, but not by land-use intensity alone. Thus, land-use intensity and temperature influence intracolonial communication and size, both of which can have strong effects on foraging. Land management and climate are therefore probably detrimental for colony maintenance and the reproductive success of bumble bees.

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“…An exclusive diet of pollen was found to negatively affect development of zooplankton including D. longispina ; whereby the presence of microorganisms is required to degrade them to an intermediate trophic level (Masclaux et al 2011 ). As SpECs are empty capsules, they lack the nutritional component of intact grains and have been proposed as a dilution agent in artificial diets for arthropod larvae (Tainsh et al 2020 ). The effects of dietary dilution by SpECs on invertebrates are subject to further investigation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Uptake of Sporopollenin Exine Capsules and Associated Bioavailability of Adsorbed Oestradiol in Selected Aquatic Invertebrates

Chapman

Meichanetzoglou

Boa

et al. 2021

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

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Lycopodium clavatum sporopollenin exine capsules (SpECs) are known to both adsorb and absorb chemicals. The aim of the present work was to determine whether oestradiol (E2) is ‘bioavailable’ to bioindicator species, either pre-adsorbed to, or in the presence of, SpECs. SpEC uptake was confirmed for Daphnia magna and Dreissena bugensis. E2 levels varied among treatments for Caenorhabditis elegans though there was no relationship to SpEC load. E2 was not detected in D. bugensis tissues. Expression changes of general stress and E2-specific genes were measured. For C. elegans, NHR-14 expression suggested that SpECs modulate E2 impacts, but not general health responses. For D. magna, SpECs alone and with E2 changed Vtg1 and general stress responses. For D. bugensis, SpECS were taken up but no E2 or change in gene expression was detected after exposure to E2 and/or SpECs. The present study is the first to investigate SpECs and bound chemical dynamics.

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Sporopollenin as a dilution agent in artificial diets for solitary bees

Cited by 6 publications

References 58 publications

Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen

Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen

Land-use stress alters cuticular chemical surface profile and morphology in the bumble bee Bombus lapidarius

The Uptake of Sporopollenin Exine Capsules and Associated Bioavailability of Adsorbed Oestradiol in Selected Aquatic Invertebrates

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