Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA.
J Exp Biol. 2023 Nov 15;226(22). doi: 10.1242/jeb.246083. Epub 2023 Nov 20.
Exposure to insecticides may contribute to global insect declines due to sublethal insecticide effects on non-target species. Thus far, much research on non-target insecticide effects has focused on neonicotinoids in a few bee species. Much less is known about effects on other insect taxa or newer insecticides, such as sulfoxaflor. Here, we studied the effects of an acute insecticide exposure on both olfactory and visual learning in free-moving Polistes fuscatus paper wasps. Wasps were exposed to a single, field-realistic oral dose of low-dose imidacloprid, high-dose imidacloprid or sulfoxaflor. Then, visual and olfactory learning and short-term memory were assessed. We found that acute insecticide exposure influenced performance, as sulfoxaflor- and high-dose imidacloprid-exposed wasps made fewer correct choices than control wasps. Notably, both visual and olfactory performance were similarly impaired. Wasps treated with high-dose imidacloprid were also less likely to complete the learning assay than wasps from the other treatment groups. Instead, wasps remained stationary and unmoving in the testing area, consistent with imidacloprid interfering with motor control. Finally, wasps treated with sulfoxaflor were more likely to die in the week after treatment than wasps in the other treatment groups. Our findings demonstrate that sublethal, field-realistic dosages of both neonicotinoid- and sulfoximine-based insecticides impair wasp learning and short-term memory, which may have additional effects on survival and motor functioning. Insecticides have broadly detrimental effects on diverse non-target insects that may influence foraging effectiveness, pollination services and ecosystem function.
暴露于杀虫剂可能会导致全球昆虫数量下降，因为非靶标物种会受到亚致死剂量杀虫剂的影响。迄今为止，关于非靶标昆虫杀虫剂效应的研究主要集中在少数几种蜜蜂物种的新烟碱类杀虫剂上。对于其他昆虫类群或更新的杀虫剂（如磺酰氟）的影响，人们知之甚少。在这里，我们研究了急性杀虫剂暴露对自由移动的 Polistes fuscatus 纸蜂的嗅觉和视觉学习的影响。黄蜂被暴露于单次、田间实际剂量的低剂量吡虫啉、高剂量吡虫啉或磺酰氟中。然后，评估了视觉和嗅觉学习以及短期记忆。我们发现急性杀虫剂暴露会影响性能，因为磺酰氟和高剂量吡虫啉处理的黄蜂比对照黄蜂做出的正确选择更少。值得注意的是，视觉和嗅觉表现都受到类似的损害。与其他处理组的黄蜂相比，高剂量吡虫啉处理的黄蜂也更不可能完成学习测试。相反，黄蜂在测试区域中保持静止不动，这与吡虫啉干扰运动控制一致。最后，与其他处理组的黄蜂相比，磺酰氟处理的黄蜂在治疗后一周内更有可能死亡。我们的研究结果表明，亚致死剂量的新烟碱类和磺酰亚胺类杀虫剂都会损害黄蜂的学习和短期记忆，这可能对生存和运动功能产生额外影响。杀虫剂对各种非靶标昆虫都有广泛的有害影响，可能会影响觅食效果、授粉服务和生态系统功能。
