Project Details
Description
Glyphosate is a commonly applied broad-spectrum herbicide in Australian agriculture
[1] and the world [2]. Honeybees are exposed to glyphosate during crop pollination. Glyphosate was previously considered safe for honeybees since it inhibits specific enzymes found only in plants and bacteria [3]. However, glyphosate negatively affects essential honeybee abilities including learning, memory, and navigation [4, 5]. Learning is vital for tasks like foraging which is important for colony wellbeing and enhances pollination efficiency and crop yield [6]. While the negative effects of glyphosate on honeybee health are established, the proximate mechanisms of how glyphosate affects honeybee abilities are still unknown. Recently, glyphosate has been shown to perturb the gut microbiome [7]. The gut microbiome is directly linked to honeybee health, development, cognition, and behaviours [8]. Glyphosate may therefore affect honeybee abilities indirectly by altering their gut bacteria. We predict that counteracting the effects of glyphosate on the gut may relieve its effects on bee abilities. We propose to achieve this by supplementary feeding enriched with probiotics containing the honeybee gut bacteria Snodgrassella alvi, which is most significantly reduced by glyphosate.
[1] and the world [2]. Honeybees are exposed to glyphosate during crop pollination. Glyphosate was previously considered safe for honeybees since it inhibits specific enzymes found only in plants and bacteria [3]. However, glyphosate negatively affects essential honeybee abilities including learning, memory, and navigation [4, 5]. Learning is vital for tasks like foraging which is important for colony wellbeing and enhances pollination efficiency and crop yield [6]. While the negative effects of glyphosate on honeybee health are established, the proximate mechanisms of how glyphosate affects honeybee abilities are still unknown. Recently, glyphosate has been shown to perturb the gut microbiome [7]. The gut microbiome is directly linked to honeybee health, development, cognition, and behaviours [8]. Glyphosate may therefore affect honeybee abilities indirectly by altering their gut bacteria. We predict that counteracting the effects of glyphosate on the gut may relieve its effects on bee abilities. We propose to achieve this by supplementary feeding enriched with probiotics containing the honeybee gut bacteria Snodgrassella alvi, which is most significantly reduced by glyphosate.
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 28/02/23 → 15/06/24 |