Yann Clough
Professor
Seed treatment with clothianidin induces changes in plant metabolism and alters pollinator foraging preferences
Författare
Summary, in English
Neonicotinoids, systemic insecticides that are distributed into all plant tissues and protect against pests, have become a common part of crop production, but can unintentionally also affect non-target organisms, including pollinators. Such effects can be direct effects from insecticide exposure, but neonicotinoids can affect plant physiology, and effects could therefore also be indirectly mediated by changes in plant phenology, attractiveness and nutritional value. Under controlled greenhouse conditions, we tested if seed treatment with the neonicotinoid clothianidin affected oilseed rape’s production of flower resources for bees and the content of the secondary plant products glucosinolates that provide defense against herbivores. Additionally, we tested if seed treatment affected the attractiveness of oilseed rape to flower visiting bumblebees, using outdoor mesocosms. Flowers and leaves of clothianidin-treated plants had different profiles of glucosinolates compared with untreated plants. Bumblebees in mesocosms foraged slightly more on untreated plants. Neither flower timing, flower size nor the production of pollen and nectar differed between treatments, and therefore cannot explain any preference for untreated oilseed rape. We instead propose that this small but significant preference for untreated plants was related to the altered glucosinolate profile caused by clothianidin. Thereby, this study contributes to the understanding of the complex relationships between neonicotinoid-treated crops and pollinator foraging choices, by suggesting a potential mechanistic link by which insecticide treatment can affect insect behavior.
Avdelning/ar
- Centrum för miljö- och klimatvetenskap (CEC)
- BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
- Biodiversitet
- Biodiversitet och bevarandevetenskap
- Funktionell zoologi
- Syngruppen
- LU profilområde: Naturbaserade framtidslösningar
- Feromongruppen
Publiceringsår
2023-12
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
1247-1256
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Ecotoxicology
Volym
32
Issue
10
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Springer
Ämne
- Ecology
Nyckelord
- Flower preference
- Glucosinolates
- Neonicotinoid insecticides
- Plant defense metabolism
- Plant-pollinator interactions
Status
Published
Forskningsgrupp
- Biodiversity and Conservation Science
- Lund Vision Group
- Pheromone Group
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 0963-9292