Impacts of aquatic pollution on pollinator health and activity

Description

Pollinators are threatened by stressors from modern agricultural practices and industrial pollution. Much of the research on bee health has focused on terrestrial habitats with little attention to aquatic environments and water quality within
agricultural landscapes. Increased climate warming and human activity are linked to increased blooms of blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) which produce toxins proven to harm many animals, including invertebrates. Bees are known to collect
water for use in the hive for thermoregulation and diluting honey and typically prefer “dirty” water with salts and other compounds as a source of micronutrients. However, this foraging also increases their likelihood of exposure to toxins. We
found that bees exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of cyanotoxins had significantly reduced survival. We also show how bumblebees are affected by exposure to toxins from cyanobacteria under increased temperature such as
predicted under climate change.

Period	2024 Mar 13
Event title	Nordic Oikos 2024: New perspectives in ecological and evolutionary research
Event type	Conference
Location	Lund, SwedenShow on map