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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Effects of microplastic, heat and ozone on Bombus terrestris mortality and relative fat body content
ClearNegative effects of increased ozone concentrations and heat stress on bumblebees are exacerbated by microplastics
This study found that microplastic exposure worsened the negative effects of heat stress and increased ozone levels on bumblebees. When bees were exposed to multiple stressors at once, including microplastics, the combined harm was greater than any single stressor alone. This matters because bees pollinate many of the crops humans eat, and their decline could affect food security.
Negative effects of increased ozone concentrations and heat stress on bumblebees are exacerbated by microplastics
This experimental study found that microplastic exposure worsened the harmful effects of ozone pollution and heat stress on bumblebees. When combined, these stressors caused greater health damage than any single one alone, suggesting that microplastic pollution may amplify the impacts of climate change on important pollinators.
Long-term exposure to microplastics and heat affects bumblebee behavior patterns, colony development and social networks
Bumblebee colonies were exposed to microplastics and/or elevated temperature (simulating climate warming) for one generation and monitored for individual behavior, colony development, and social network structure. Microplastic exposure combined with heat stress reduced colony size and altered foraging behavior and social network metrics, suggesting compounding effects on pollinator health.
Microplastic ingestion and co-exposure to Nosema ceranae and flupyradifurone reduce the survival of honey bees (Apis mellifera L.)
Researchers studied the combined effects of microplastics, the insecticide flupyradifurone, and the gut parasite Nosema ceranae on honey bee health. They found that all treatments reduced bee survival compared to controls, with the three-way combination being the most harmful, and that microplastics and the pesticide increased parasite reproduction. The study suggests that microplastics may worsen the effects of other stressors on bee health, compounding existing threats to pollinators.
Effects of different microplastic types and co-exposure on the survival of Apis mellifera ligustica (Spinola, 1806) and its associated microbial communities
Researchers fed honey bees three types of microplastics (polystyrene, polyethylene, and polymethyl methacrylate) individually and in combination, and found that all treatments significantly reduced bee survival compared to controls. The combination of all three microplastic types had the strongest negative effect, and the gut microbial community showed time- and treatment-specific shifts that may represent an initial compensatory response to maintain functional stability.
Unravelling the microplastic menace: Different polymers additively increase bee vulnerability
Researchers exposed bees to two common types of microplastics, both individually and combined, and found that the mixture caused additive harmful effects on survival and behavior. The microplastics impaired the bees' ability to learn and remember, which is critical for finding food and navigating. Since bees are essential pollinators for food crops, microplastic pollution threatening bee health could have indirect consequences for human food production.
Biotic and abiotic stresses on honeybee health
This review covers the many threats facing honeybee health, including parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and emerging pollutants like microplastics. Microplastics have been found in bee habitats and can be ingested during foraging, potentially affecting bee health and colony survival. Since honeybees are essential crop pollinators, threats to their health from microplastic pollution could indirectly impact human food production.
Unravelling the microplastic menace: different polymers work in synergy to increase bee vulnerability
Researchers studied the effects of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) microplastics, both individually and combined, on honeybees. They found that the mixture of different microplastic polymers produced synergistic harmful effects that were worse than either polymer alone, including increased mortality and disrupted gut microbiota. The study highlights that real-world microplastic exposure, which typically involves mixtures of polymers, may pose greater risks to pollinators than single-polymer laboratory studies suggest.
Combined effects of microplastics and flupyradifurone on gut microbiota and oxidative status of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)
Researchers found that honeybees exposed to both polystyrene microplastics and the pesticide flupyradifurone suffered significantly worse health outcomes than when exposed to either substance alone, including reduced survival and disrupted gut bacteria. The combination depleted beneficial Lactobacillus bacteria in the bees' guts, and supplementing with these bacteria improved survival. While focused on bees, this study demonstrates how microplastics can amplify the toxicity of other environmental chemicals, a principle that likely applies across species.
Single and Synergistic Effects of Microplastics and Difenoconazole on Oxidative Stress, Transcriptome, and Microbiome Traits in Honey Bees
Researchers exposed honey bees to microplastics and the fungicide difenoconazole, both alone and together, and found that the combination caused worse oxidative stress and gut microbiome disruption than either pollutant alone. This is concerning because bees encounter both pollutants in agricultural environments, and the combined exposure may weaken their health more than expected.
Polystyrene microplastics reduce honeybee survival by disrupting gut microbiota and metabolism
Honeybees exposed to polystyrene microplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations showed reduced survival rates, damaged gut walls, and disrupted gut bacteria and metabolism. The microplastics accumulated in the bees' guts, causing oxidative stress and shifting the microbial community toward harmful species. Since honeybees are essential pollinators for many food crops, microplastic threats to bee health could have indirect consequences for agriculture and human food security.
Buffered fitness components: Antagonism between malnutrition and an insecticide in bumble bees
Bumble bee colonies were exposed to malnutrition and a neonicotinoid insecticide in factorial experiments, with results showing that the stressors interacted antagonistically -- their combined effect on fitness components was less than expected from additive models. The findings highlight the complexity of multi-stressor effects on pollinator populations and caution against simple additive risk assessments.
Kimalaste kokkupuude mikroplastiga metsades, põldudel ja linnades
Researchers used bumblebees as bioindicators to assess terrestrial microplastic contamination across urban, agricultural, and forest environments in Estonia, finding that bees in urban areas — especially near busy highways — carried significantly higher microplastic loads on their body surfaces, with weather conditions (rain vs. dry heat) also influencing particle accumulation.
Revealing antagonistic interactions in the adverse effects of polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) microplastics in bumblebees
Researchers exposed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) to polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) microplastics singly and in combination to assess sublethal effects on survival, feeding behavior, and memory. Single-type exposures reduced survival in a concentration-dependent manner but combined exposure showed antagonistic (no significant) survival effects; PMMA impaired memory while the mixture enhanced sucrose responsiveness, revealing complex interaction effects.
Microplastics reach the brain and interfere with honey bee cognition
Researchers found that microplastics reach honey bee brains and impair cognitive function, with bees exposed to mixed polymer combinations showing disrupted learning and memory abilities, demonstrating that plastic pollution poses a direct threat to pollinator health.
Climate change, air pollution, and risks to honeybees – a review of biomonitoring data
Not relevant to microplastics — this review synthesizes global biomonitoring data on honeybee exposure to metals, PAHs, pesticides, and other environmental pollutants, assessing bees as sentinel species for ecosystem health under climate change.
Do diesel exhaust particles in pollen affect colony founding in the bumblebee B. terrestris?
Researchers investigated whether diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) incorporated into pollen fed to bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) queens and workers at the early colony-founding stage would affect colony development, measuring individual and colony-level outcomes after ten weeks to assess the impact of airborne particulate matter pollution on insect pollinator health.
Spray paint-derived microplastics and incorporated substances as ecotoxicological contaminants in the neotropical bumblebee Bombus atratus
Researchers exposed bumblebees to spray paint-derived microplastics, both fresh and UV-degraded, to assess their effects on internal organs. They found that UV-degraded paint microplastics caused significantly more cellular damage to the digestive tract and excretory organs than fresh particles. The study highlights that weathered microplastics from common consumer products can pose greater toxic risks to pollinators than pristine plastic particles.
How Environmental and Ecological Stressors Reprogram Honey Bee Chemistry Through the Microbiome–Metabolome Axis
Researchers reviewed how major environmental stressors — including pesticides, pathogens, nutritional imbalance, and contaminants — disrupt the honey bee gut microbiome-metabolome axis, finding recurring patterns of functional dysbiosis such as impaired energy metabolism and weakened immune regulation that can scale up to threaten colony resilience.
Synergistic effects between microplastics and glyphosate on honey bee larvae
This study found that honey bee larvae exposed to microplastics combined with the herbicide glyphosate experienced worse developmental problems, higher oxidative stress, and stronger immune responses than those exposed to either pollutant alone. The combined exposure disrupted key detoxification and antioxidant genes in the developing bees. While focused on bees, this research highlights how microplastics can amplify the harm from other environmental chemicals, a pattern that likely applies to other organisms including humans.
Interactive effects of microplastic pollution and heat stress on reef-building corals
This study tested the combined effects of microplastic exposure and heat stress on reef-building corals, finding that the combination caused more damage than either stressor alone. As climate change raises ocean temperatures, the simultaneous pressure from plastic pollution may accelerate coral reef decline.
Pollination under attack: First insights from Türkiye Plain reveal microplastics in bees from both urban and rural areas
Researchers found microplastics inside honeybees from both urban and rural areas in Turkey, with urban bees carrying significantly higher concentrations — mostly PET plastic fibers — raising concern that microplastic contamination could threaten pollinator health and the agricultural pollination services bees provide.
Dancing with danger-how honeybees are getting affected in the web of microplastics-a review
This review summarizes research on how microplastics are affecting honeybees, finding that these particles accumulate in bee tissues including the brain, gut, and breathing tubes. Microplastic exposure can change bee behavior, weaken their immune systems, reduce body weight, and disrupt gut bacteria. Since honeybees pollinate roughly 70% of the food crops humans eat, threats to bee health from microplastics could have far-reaching effects on food security.
Influence of Geographic Separation Between Urban Centers and Microplastic Burden on Bees (Apis mellifera)
Researchers studied whether the distance between honeybee colonies and urban centers affects the amount of microplastic contamination found on the bees. They found that bees closer to cities carried significantly more microplastics on their bodies than those in more rural areas. The study suggests that honeybees could serve as biological indicators for monitoring local microplastic pollution levels.