Decimation of bee populationsResearch Proposal by Paola CaballeroRISE Program UPR- Cayey

Pesticide resistance in bees

Bees, the major pollinators

Image from:http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/28/wild-bees-pollinators-crop-yields

Bees, the major pollinators

Image from:http://www.beesandbeyond.com/bees/news/death-bees-genetically-modified-crops-and-decline-bee-colonies-north-america

Pesticides killing bee colonies worldwide

*Krupke, C. H., Hunt, G. J., Eitzer, B. D., Andino, G., & Given, K. (2012). Multiple routes of pesticide exposure for honey bees living near agricultural fields.

Widely used Pesticide:

They target the insect’s nervous system, binding with its nicotinic receptors and interrupting the sending of nerve impulses.

Image from:http://cynicaljournalist.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/front-pages-reviewed-at-midnight-thursday-20-january-2011/

Normal Impulse Transmission

Image from:http://www.pctonline.com/pct1011-insecticide-information.aspx

Neurological target sites

Image from: http://www.pctonline.com/pct1011-insecticide-information.aspx

Acetylcholine (Ach Receptor)

•Neonicotinoids are synthetic materials modeled after the natural, plant-produced insecticide nicotine.

•Active ingredients: imidacloprid, dinotefuran, thiamethoxam, clothianidin and acetamiprid.

•Neonicotinoids target the insect nervous system by binding to the acetylcholine (Ach; a neurotransmitter) receptor on the post-synapse nerve cell.

•Under normal conditions, Ach binds to this receptor for only milliseconds (1/1,000 of a second) at a time, resulting in short and controlled nerve stimulation.

• The neonicotinoids bind to the Ach receptor for very long periods, approximately minutes or greater.

Neonicotinoid

•Decreased effectiveness of a pesticide that was effective on previous generations of a pest population.

•Many organisms have resistance to many susbstances in their environments in order to survive and adapt.

•Natural selection plays an important role in building resistance.

•Examples:

Bacteria creating resistance to hand sanitizers

Cockroaches and flies create resistance to Raid Sprays and others

Pesticide Resistance

Research Project

Hypothesis

Specific aims

Methodology

Methodology

Methodology

Pesticide Pesticide Pesticide

Analyzing the Results

Importance

•http://www.pctonline.com/pct1011-insecticide-information.aspx

•http://www.groundwork.org.za/Resources/FactSheets/PAN%20AP/pesticides-factsheet-hhps-neonicotinoids.pdf

•Krupke, C. H., Hunt, G. J., Eitzer, B. D., Andino, G., & Given, K. (2012). Multiple routes of pesticide exposure for honey bees living near agricultural fields. PLoS One, 7(1) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029268

References