Field-level clothianidin exposure affects bumblebees but generally not their pathogens

Dimitry Wintermantel (), Barbara Locke, Georg K. S. Andersson, Emilia Semberg, Eva Forsgren, Julia Osterman, Thorsten Rahbek Pedersen, Riccardo Bommarco, Henrik G. Smith, Maj Rundlöf and Joachim R. de Miranda
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Dimitry Wintermantel: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Barbara Locke: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Georg K. S. Andersson: Lund University
Emilia Semberg: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Eva Forsgren: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Julia Osterman: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Thorsten Rahbek Pedersen: Swedish Board of Agriculture
Riccardo Bommarco: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Henrik G. Smith: Lund University
Maj Rundlöf: Lund University
Joachim R. de Miranda: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Neonicotinoids are implicated in bee declines and laboratory studies imply that they impair the bee immune system, thereby precipitating a rise in pathogen levels. To establish whether such synergisms reduce bee performance in real-world agricultural landscapes, we analysed the microbial composition of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) samples from our recent landscape study on the impacts of field-level clothianidin exposure. We related clothianidin exposure and microbial composition to both individual- and colony-level performance parameters, to better understand the direct and indirect mechanistic effects of neonicotinoid exposure on bumblebees. We show that exposure to clothianidin from seed-coated oilseed rape reduces bumblebee size and numbers, particularly of reproductives. However, exposure does not affect the levels of non-pathogenic bacteria or viruses, nor induce rises in the levels or virulence of intracellular parasites. We conclude that field exposure to the neonicotinoid clothianidin affects bumblebee performance but generally not their pathogenic or beneficial microbiota.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07914-3

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