title: Increased Acetylcholinesterase Expression in Bumble Bees During Neonicotinoid-Coated Corn Sowing.
abstract: While honey bee exposure to systemic insecticides has received much attention, impacts on wild pollinators have not been as widely studied. Neonicotinoids have been shown to increase acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in honey bees at sublethal doses. High AChE levels may therefore act as a biomarker of exposure to neonicotinoids. This two-year study focused on establishing whether bumble bees living and foraging in agricultural areas using neonicotinoid crop protection show early biochemical signs of intoxication. Bumble bee colonies (Bombus impatiens) were placed in two different agricultural cropping areas: 1) control (≥ 3 km from fields planted with neonicotinoid-treated seeds) or 2) exposed (within 500 m of fields planted with neonicotinoid-treated seeds), and maintained for the duration of corn sowing. As determined by Real Time qPCR, AChE mRNA expression was initially significantly higher in bumble bees from exposed sites, then decreased throughout the planting season to reach a similar endpoint to that of bumble bees from control sites. These findings suggest that exposure to neonicotinoid seed coating particles during the planting season can alter bumble bee neuronal activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report in situ that bumble bees living in agricultural areas exhibit signs of neonicotinoid intoxication.
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche en innovation sur les végétaux, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Samson-Robert
authors.affiliation: CÉROM, Centre de recherche sur les grains Inc., Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Québec, J3G 0E2, Canada.
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Labrie
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierre-Luc
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Mercier
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8, Canada.
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chagnon
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Derome
authors.affiliation: Centre de recherche en innovation sur les végétaux, Université Laval, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fournier
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000691:Anabasine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000201:enzymology*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012639:Seeds; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D000691:Anabasine