Cappa Federico, Pasquini Elisa, Ibraliu Alessia, Muti Ginevra, Ferrante Federico, Baracchi David
Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze Scuola di Scienze Matematiche Fisiche e Naturali, Via Madonna del Piano, 6, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
Center for Mind/Brain Sciences - CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Trento, Italy.
Proc Biol Sci. 2025 Mar;292(2043):20250047. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2025.0047. Epub 2025 Mar 26.
Microplastics pose a significant ecological threat, yet their actual impact on terrestrial ecosystems and organisms remains poorly understood. This study investigates the effects of two common microplastics, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS), on the pollinator , exploring their combined and sublethal effects at three different concentrations (0.5, 5 and 50 mg l). PMMA and PS single exposure reduced bee survival in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas combined exposure (MIX) had no significant effect. PS reduced bee sucrose responsiveness, PMMA had no significant effect and MIX enhanced it. Learning and memory tests showed impaired mid-term and early long-term memory in bees exposed to PMMA and PS, with concentration-dependent effects. Interestingly, MIX exposure had no effect on memory retention. Our findings emphasize the differential effects of individual microplastics on bumblebee behaviour, suggesting potential risks to pollinator survival, cognitive function and possibly overall colony health, but also unexpected antagonistic interactions between these pollutants. The PS-PMMA antagonistic interactions highlight a challenge in assessing the toxicity of microplastics. Combined effects may not mirror the individual toxicity of PS and PMMA, highlighting the need for a careful assessment of polymer interactions, especially in environments or organisms contaminated by different microplastics.
微塑料对生态构成重大威胁，但其对陆地生态系统和生物的实际影响仍知之甚少。本研究调查了两种常见微塑料，聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯（PMMA）和聚苯乙烯（PS），对传粉者的影响，探究了它们在三种不同浓度（0.5、5和50毫克/升）下的联合效应和亚致死效应。PMMA和PS单独暴露均以浓度依赖的方式降低了蜜蜂的存活率，而联合暴露（MIX）则无显著影响。PS降低了蜜蜂对蔗糖的反应能力，PMMA无显著影响，而MIX增强了这种反应能力。学习和记忆测试表明，暴露于PMMA和PS的蜜蜂中期和早期长期记忆受损，呈现浓度依赖效应。有趣的是，MIX暴露对记忆保持没有影响。我们的研究结果强调了单个微塑料对大黄蜂行为的不同影响，表明对传粉者生存、认知功能以及可能的整个蜂群健康存在潜在风险，但也揭示了这些污染物之间意想不到的拮抗相互作用。PS - PMMA的拮抗相互作用凸显了评估微塑料毒性的一个挑战。联合效应可能无法反映PS和PMMA的个体毒性，这突出了仔细评估聚合物相互作用的必要性，尤其是在被不同微塑料污染的环境或生物中。
