Data from: Field-realistic exposure to the novel insecticide flupyradifurone reduces reproductive output in a bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)
Data files
Jun 05, 2024 version files 137.89 KB
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FPF_microcolony_data_archive.xlsx
72.17 KB
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ovary_dev_ITD_archive.xlsx
27.42 KB
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README.md
3.25 KB
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spatial_data_archive.xlsx
35.05 KB
Abstract
Novel insecticides are continuously being developed for application in response to increased legal restriction of previously developed insecticides and resistance in target insects. These novel insecticides, such as flupyradifurone (FPF), remain relatively untested on non-target organisms, including bumblebees. Further, existing tests on honeybees tend to focus on adult mortality, and thus sub-lethal effects, such as impacts on reproductive output, are neglected, despite their importance for population-level impacts. To address if the novel insecticide FPF has sub-lethal effects on bumblebee reproduction and behavior, we established microcolonies and chronically exposed them to field-realistic concentrations over a 14-day period. We found that exposure to FPF reduced the bumblebees’ reproductive output in terms of the number of larvae produced and the mean mass of each larval instar. FPF-treated bees also stored less sucrose and constructed fewer honeypots. However, adult bumblebee mortality was similar between control and FPF-exposed microcolonies. Our results show that field-realistic FPF exposure leads to increased larval mortality and/or delayed larval development, as well as reduced nectar storage, without affecting adult mortality. Policy implications: Insecticides that impair bumblebee reproduction can have long-term population-level consequences, even if adult bees do not experience increased mortality. Despite this fact, sub-lethal effects, such as impacts on reproduction, are not mandatorily assessed within the regulatory process. Our findings highlight the importance of determining sub-lethal effects of pesticides across developmental stages, as well as using pollinator species other than honeybees within the regulatory process.
README: Field-realistic exposure to the novel insecticide flupyradifurone reduces reproductive output in a bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.r4xgxd2nk
The accompanying three excel files contain all of the data from the above titled manuscript. Description below explains what information is within each file.
Description of the data and file structure
FPF_microcolony_data_archive.xlsx has most of the main data. The first sheet contains general information about each microcolony. This includes the date that the experiment began, the queenright colony that the bees were taken from (indicated by a letter in the column titled "natal"), the microcolony ID number, the treatment group ("C" = control, "L" = low, "M" = medium, "H" = high, and "P" = positive control). This first sheet also contains the information about the total volume of sucrose stored within each microcolony at the end of the 14 day experiment, as well as the number and average mass (mg) of the larvae across the four instar groups. Total larval mass (mg) is depicted in the column "T_mass". Cells with "NA" values in the columns indicating instar specific mass had no individuals of the respective instar present.
The second sheet has information about the number of bees dead in each microcolony on each day of the experiment, with microcolony ID shown in the column "ID". The next sheet is in the same format, but shows if brood was present or absent each day for each microcolony. The third sheet shows consumption (in mL) across each day for each microcolony.
The second data file is titled "ovary_dev_ITD_archive.xlsx" and this data file contains information on the individual bee level. The microcolony the bee came from is indicated in the "Microcolony ID" column. There are four bees per microcolony that are arbitrarily assigned a number in the "Bee" column. Intertegular distance (ITD), status (alive (0) /dead (1)), and ovary development are indicated (binary 0 for undeveloped, 1 for developed, and longest developed oocyte length (mm)). Cells with NA values indicate that the bee was either dead (status = 1) and therefor did not have ovary development assessed, or did not have developed oocytes (Ovary Pres/Abs = 0) so no oocyte could be measured.
The final file which is titled "spatial_data_archive.xlsx" contains information regarding the spatial analyses we conducted. The first shows the number of honeypots present at the end of the experiment in each microcolony ("num_pots") with the mean distances between centroids of these honeypots in the column "mean_cen". The second sheet shows the proportion of the overhead honeypot area that is taken up by the opening in the column "prop_open", and the third sheet has all of the raw data for calculating the measures related to area. In this third sheet columns that start with "ah" represent the total area of a single honeypot, columns starting with "ba" represent the area taken up by a single clump of brood, and columns starting with "oh" represent the area taken up by the opening of a honeypot. Proportion open was calculated based on the open area compared to the total area. Areas are measured in cubic millimeters.