Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: The lifelong effects of anoxia hormesis in solitary bees

Data files

Jul 08, 2025 version files 125.12 KB

Abstract

The stimulatory and protective response known as hormesis elicits an often over compensatory response resulting in exposure survival and life history trait improvements. There are an array of abiotic and biotic agents that have been shown to trigger hormesis; most commonly studied are chemicals, temperature, and low oxygen. Investigations into low-oxygen exposures that activate the hormetic response date back nearly 50 years. This body of work reveals that insect performance is dramatically improved by single short low-oxygen events while focusing on the transitory nature of the improvements. Few reports examine whether the effect is longer lasting or lifelong. We previously reported that one hour of anoxia was enough to induce this hormetic response in the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Here we investigated whether that response is transitory or long-lasting by looking at starvation resistance, flight, and locomotory activity throughout the life of the bees. Additionally, we studied the effects of anoxia hormesis on reproduction, diapause incidence, and F1 offspring survival, development, and flight. Anoxia hormesis has lifelong positive effects for the flight of males and females. We also recorded higher starvation survival in bees that experienced hormesis. This improvement in performance came at a steep reproductive cost. However, no costs or benefits were passed to the next generation as we recorded no delays in development, no effects on F1 diapause, no hormesis-related deaths, and no changes in flight performance. We hypothesize that using anoxia hormesis in the context of pollination services by this species, should result in bees that are potentially more active in the field; increasing the numbers of visits to flowers throughout their entire life.