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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Acute and chronic effects of Titanium dioxide (TiO2) PM1 on honey bee gut microbiota under laboratory conditions
ClearAssociation of specific gut microbiota with polyethylene microplastics caused gut dysbiosis and increased susceptibility to opportunistic pathogens in honeybees
Honeybees fed polyethylene microplastics (the type used in food packaging) showed disrupted gut bacteria and became more vulnerable to disease-causing pathogens. The larger 100-micrometer particles caused the most harm, physically damaging the gut lining and displacing beneficial bacteria. This research demonstrates how microplastic contamination in the environment can weaken important pollinator species by compromising their gut health and immune defenses.
Microbiota and Its Importance in Honey Bees
This review examines the role of microbiota in honey bee health, finding that gut microbiome composition is critical for metabolism, immune function, and protection against pathogens, with environmental stressors including pollution threatening bee microbiome stability.
Gut microbiota protects honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) against polystyrene microplastics exposure risks
Researchers found that honey bees with intact gut microbiota were significantly more resilient to polystyrene microplastic exposure than bees with disrupted gut communities. The gut microbiota helped reduce oxidative stress and maintained immune function in bees exposed to microplastics. The study suggests that a healthy gut microbiome may serve as a natural defense mechanism against the harmful effects of microplastic ingestion in pollinators.
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.
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.
Nano- and micro-polystyrene plastics disturb gut microbiota and intestinal immune system in honeybee.
Honeybees orally exposed to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics showed disrupted gut microbiota and impaired intestinal immune function, with nanoplastics causing greater effects than microplastics. Since honeybees are critical pollinators for food production, microplastic contamination in their environment could affect both bee health and agricultural systems.
Diesel exhaust particles alter gut microbiome and gene expression in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Researchers exposed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) workers to sublethal doses of diesel exhaust particles and brake dust for seven days, finding that oral exposure to diesel exhaust particles significantly altered gut microbiome composition and gene expression while brake dust and airborne exposure produced no significant changes.
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.
Tetracycline exposure alters key gut microbiota in Africanized honey bees ( Apis mellifera scutellata x spp.)
Researchers found that exposure to tetracycline antibiotics significantly altered gut bacteria communities in Africanized honey bees, disrupting their microbiome health. Since bees can be exposed to antibiotics through agricultural practices, the findings raise concern about antibiotic impacts on pollinator health.
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.
Jute Nanocrystalline Cellulose Relieves Polystyrene Nanoplastic-Induced Acute Injuries by Modulating Gut Microbiota Gilliamella apicola
Researchers discovered that jute-derived nanocrystalline cellulose can alleviate the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics in honey bees by modulating their gut microbiota. The study showed that this natural plant-based nanomaterial reduced nanoplastic-induced injuries including tissue damage and cell death, suggesting a potential strategy for mitigating nanoplastic toxicity in important pollinator species.
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.
Diesel exhaust particles alter gut microbiome and gene expression in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Researchers exposed bumblebees to diesel exhaust particles and brake dust and found that oral exposure to diesel particles significantly altered their gut microbiome and gene expression. The diesel particles disrupted genes involved in immune function and chemical processing while shifting the balance of gut bacteria. The study suggests that air pollution from vehicle emissions may harm pollinator health through ingestion of contaminated particles during foraging.
Chronic Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastic Fragments Has No Effect on Honey Bee Survival, but Reduces Feeding Rate and Body Weight
Researchers chronically exposed honey bees with established gut microbiomes to polystyrene microplastic fragments over 15 days and found no effect on survival. However, bees exposed to higher concentrations showed reduced feeding rates and lower body weight. The study suggests that while microplastics may not directly kill bees, they could affect bee nutrition and energy balance over time.
A systematic review on the effects of nanomaterials on gut microbiota
This systematic review of 68 studies found moderate evidence that zinc-based, copper-based, and silver nanomaterials cause gut microbiota dysbiosis, while titanium dioxide nanoparticles showed variable effects depending on crystal form and dose. The gut microbiome's response to nanomaterials depended heavily on particle composition, size, dose, and exposure duration. These findings are directly relevant to microplastic research, as ingested micro- and nanoplastics similarly interact with gut bacteria and may alter the microbiome composition that influences immune function and overall health.
Influence of Age of Infection on the Gut Microbiota in Worker Honey Bees (Apis mellifera iberiensis) Experimentally Infected with Nosema ceranae
Researchers studied how infection with the gut parasite Nosema ceranae affects the microbiome of honey bees at different ages. The study found that infected bees, especially those infected shortly after emerging, showed significant shifts in their gut bacteria populations, suggesting that both age and infection timing play important roles in how bee gut health is disrupted.
Bees and Microplastic Studies: A Systematic Review
This systematic review of 33 studies found that microplastic research involving bees is still in its early stages, with evidence suggesting microplastics can alter bee gut microbiota and impair immune function. Given that compromised bee health threatens pollination services and broader ecosystem stability, the review calls for more primary studies on this understudied topic.
Developing Strategies to Help Bee Colony Resilience in Changing Environments
This review identified strategies for improving bee colony resilience under multiple stressors including climate change, pathogen pressure, and pesticide exposure, with a focus on the links between nutrition, gut microbiota, and immune and stress response systems. The authors highlight dietary diversity and microbiome support as practical levers for maintaining colony health.
Acute toxicity of microplastic fibers to honeybees and effects on foraging behavior
Researchers tested the acute toxicity of polyester microplastic fibers on honeybees and their effects on foraging behavior. They found that while the fibers were not acutely lethal at tested concentrations, exposure significantly altered the bees' foraging patterns and food consumption. The study suggests that microplastic contamination in terrestrial environments may subtly impair pollinator behavior, potentially affecting ecosystem health.
Ingesting microplastics or nanometals during development harms the tropical pollinator Partamona helleri (Apinae: Meliponini)
Scientists fed microplastic particles (polystyrene and PET) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles to developing larvae of a tropical stingless bee species to assess potential harm to pollinators. While larval survival was not affected, adult bees that developed from treated larvae showed increased body weight and altered head sizes compared to controls. The study suggests that ingesting microscopic contaminants during development may cause subtle but measurable changes in pollinator body characteristics.
Influence of nano-polystyrene on cyfluthrin toxicity in honeybee Apis cerana cerana Fabricius
Researchers found that nano-polystyrene plastics damaged the gut and gland development of Asian honeybees, while also changing how the bees process toxins at the genetic level. When combined with the pesticide cyfluthrin, the nanoplastics altered detoxification and immune gene activity in complex ways. Since honeybees are essential pollinators for food crops, the toxic effects of nanoplastics on bee health could have indirect consequences for human food security.
JuteNanocrystalline Cellulose Relieves PolystyreneNanoplastic-Induced Acute Injuries by Modulating Gut Microbiota Gilliamella apicola
Jute-derived nanocrystalline cellulose (JNCC) was shown to protect honeybees from polystyrene nanoplastic toxicity by modulating gut microbiota composition, with JNCC-treated bees showing improved survival and gut health. (Duplicate record of ID 10697.)
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.
Perturbation of gut microbiota plays an important role in micro/nanoplastics-induced gut barrier dysfunction
Researchers investigated how micro- and nanoplastics disrupt gut barrier function in mice, finding that different surface chemistries caused varying levels of damage. The study suggests that these plastic particles harm the gut by altering the gut microbiome, which then leads to inflammation and weakening of the intestinal barrier that normally keeps harmful substances out of the body.