Dataset Information

Applying Artificial Neural Networks to Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Forager Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) for Ecological Assessment.

ABSTRACT: Insect pollinators provide an important ecosystem service that supports global biodiversity and environmental health. The study investigates the effects of the environmental matrix on six oxidative stress biomarkers in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Thirty-five apiaries located in urban, forested, and agricultural areas in Central Italy were sampled during the summer season. Enzyme activities in forager bees were analyzed using an artificial neural network, allowing the identification and representation of the apiary patterns in a Self-Organizing Map. The SOM nodes were correlated with the environmental parameters and tissue levels of eight heavy metals. The results indicated that the apiaries were not clustered according to their spatial distribution. Superoxide dismutase expressed a positive correlation with Cr and Mn concentrations; catalase with Zn, Mn, Fe, and daily maximum air temperature; glutathione S-transferase with Cr, Fe, and daily maximal air temperature; and glutathione reductase showed a negative correlation to Ni and Fe exposure. This study highlights the importance of exploring how environmental stressors affect these insects and the role of oxidative stress biomarkers. Artificial neural networks proved to be a powerful approach to untangle the complex relationships between the environment and oxidative stress biomarkers in honey bees. The application of SOM modeling offers a valuable means of assessing the potential effects of environmental pressures on honey bee populations.

SUBMITTER: La Porta G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10459414 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Applying Artificial Neural Networks to Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Forager Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) for Ecological Assessment.

La Porta Gianandrea G Magara Gabriele G Goretti Enzo E Caldaroni Barbara B Dörr Ambrosius Josef Martin AJM Selvaggi Roberta R Pallottini Matteo M Gardi Tiziano T Cenci-Goga Beniamino T BT Cappelletti David D Elia Antonia Concetta AC

Toxics 20230801 8

Insect pollinators provide an important ecosystem service that supports global biodiversity and environmental health. The study investigates the effects of the environmental matrix on six oxidative stress biomarkers in the honey bee <i>Apis mellifera</i>. Thirty-five apiaries located in urban, forested, and agricultural areas in Central Italy were sampled during the summer season. Enzyme activities in forager bees were analyzed using an artificial neural network, allowing the identification and ...[more]

PMID: 37624166

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Project description:BackgroundChemical analysis shows that honey bees (Apis mellifera) and hive products contain many pesticides derived from various sources. The most abundant pesticides are acaricides applied by beekeepers to control Varroa destructor. Beekeepers also apply antimicrobial drugs to control bacterial and microsporidial diseases. Fungicides may enter the hive when applied to nearby flowering crops. Acaricides, antimicrobial drugs and fungicides are not highly toxic to bees alone, but in combination there is potential for heightened toxicity due to interactive effects.Methodology/principal findingsLaboratory bioassays based on mortality rates in adult worker bees demonstrated interactive effects among acaricides, as well as between acaricides and antimicrobial drugs and between acaricides and fungicides. Toxicity of the acaricide tau-fluvalinate increased in combination with other acaricides and most other compounds tested (15 of 17) while amitraz toxicity was mostly unchanged (1 of 15). The sterol biosynthesis inhibiting (SBI) fungicide prochloraz elevated the toxicity of the acaricides tau-fluvalinate, coumaphos and fenpyroximate, likely through inhibition of detoxicative cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activity. Four other SBI fungicides increased the toxicity of tau-fluvalinate in a dose-dependent manner, although possible evidence of P450 induction was observed at the lowest fungicide doses. Non-transitive interactions between some acaricides were observed. Sublethal amitraz pre-treatment increased the toxicity of the three P450-detoxified acaricides, but amitraz toxicity was not changed by sublethal treatment with the same three acaricides. A two-fold change in the toxicity of tau-fluvalinate was observed between years, suggesting a possible change in the genetic composition of the bees tested.Conclusions/significanceInteractions with acaricides in honey bees are similar to drug interactions in other animals in that P450-mediated detoxication appears to play an important role. Evidence of non-transivity, year-to-year variation and induction of detoxication enzymes indicates that pesticide interactions in bees may be as complex as drug interactions in mammals.

Dataset Information

Applying Artificial Neural Networks to Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Forager Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) for Ecological Assessment.

Publications

Applying Artificial Neural Networks to Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Forager Honey Bees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>) for Ecological Assessment.

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