10.5061/DRYAD.B2T08B6
Siviter, Harry
Royal Holloway University of London
Koricheva, Julia
Royal Holloway University of London
Brown, Mark J.F.
Royal Holloway University of London
Leadbeater, Ellouise
Royal Holloway University of London
Brown, Mark J. F.
Royal Holloway University of London
Data from: Quantifying the impact of pesticides on learning and memory in bees
Dryad
dataset
2019
agricultural policy
neonicotinoid
pesticide
insecticide
pollinators
2019-06-07T00:00:00Z
2019-06-07T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13193
39750 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1) Most insecticides are insect neurotoxins. Evidence is emerging that
sublethal doses of these neurotoxins are affecting learning and memory of
both wild and managed bee colonies; exacerbating the negative effects of
pesticide exposure and reducing individual foraging efficiency. 2)
Variation in methodologies and interpretation of results across studies
has precluded the quantitative evaluation of these impacts that is needed
to make recommendations for policy change. It is not clear whether robust
effects occur under acute exposure regimes (often argued to be more
field-realistic than the chronic regimes upon which many studies are
based), for field-realistic dosages, and for pesticides other than
neonicotinoids. 3) Here we use meta-analysis to examine the impact of
pesticides on bee performance in proboscis extension-based learning
assays, the paradigm most commonly used to assess learning and memory in
bees. We draw together 104 (learning) and 167 (memory) estimated effect
sizes across a diverse range of studies. 4) We detected significant
negative effects of pesticides on learning and memory (i) at field
realistic dosages, (ii) under both chronic and acute application, and
(iii) for both neonicotinoid and non-neonicotinoid pesticides groups. 5)
We also expose key gaps in the literature that include a critical lack of
studies on non-Apis bees, on larval exposure (potentially one of the major
exposure routes), and on performance in alternative learning paradigms. 6)
Policy implications. Procedures for the registration of new pesticides
within EU member states now typically require assessment of risks to
pollinators if potential target crops are attractive to bees. However, our
results provide robust quantitative evidence for subtle, sublethal
effects, the consequences of which are unlikely to be detected within
small-scale pre-licensing laboratory or field trials, but can be critical
when pesticides are used at a landscape scale. Our findings highlight the
need for long-term post-licensing environmental safety monitoring as a
requirement within licensing policy for plant protection products.
Meta-anaylsis_DRYAD.docx