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Glyphosate impairs collective thermoregulation in bumblebees

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Weidenmüller, Anja, Meltzer, Andrea, Neupert, Stefanie, Schwarz, Alica, Kleineidam, Christoph·2022·Science
DOI 10.1126/science.abf7482
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Abstract

Insects are facing a multitude of anthropogenic stressors, and the recent decline in their biodiversity is threatening ecosystems and economies across the globe. We investigated the impact of glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide worldwide, on bumblebees. Bumblebee colonies maintain their brood at high temperatures via active thermogenesis, a prerequisite for colony growth and reproduction. Using a within-colony comparative approach to examine the effects of long-term glyphosate exposure on both individual and collective thermoregulation, we found that whereas effects are weak at the level of the individual, the collective ability to maintain the necessary high brood temperatures is decreased by more than 25% during periods of resource limitation. For pollinators in our heavily stressed ecosystems, glyphosate exposure carries hidden costs that have so far been largely overlooked.

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.abf7482

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  • The absence of long-term biodiversity records for taxonomic groups heavily impacted by pesticides, such as insects and microbes, hinders a full understanding of GM crop management's effects on biodiversity.

    “The absence of long-term biodiversity records for taxonomic groups heavily impacted by pesticides, such as insects and microbes, hinders a full understanding of GMcrop management's effects on biodiversity ( 121 -124 )”

    From Environmental impacts of genetically modified crops (2024) · cites this paper as [122]

    The paper’s introductory section says insect biodiversity decline is well documented and discusses agrochemicals as a possible stressor. Its discussion identifies a lack of validated testing methods for wild bees, not a lack of long-term biodiversity records. Searches for long-term records and GM crop management found no passage linking either to the claimed gap in understanding. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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1 retracted

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1 of the 82 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

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Authors
Weidenmüller, A., Meltzer, A., Neupert, S., Schwarz, A., & Kleineidam, C.
Affiliations
University of Konstanz (DE)
Corresponding author
Weidenmüller, Anja
ORCID
Venue
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published
2022-06-03
Volume
376
Issue
6597
Pages
1122-1126
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.abf7482
OpenAlex
W4281730853
Cited by
109
References
82
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 10
FWCI
16.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • KOPS (University of Konstanz) (submittedVersion)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Otago
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (422037984)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect and Pesticide Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Plant and animal studies
Keywords
glyphosate, bumblebees, thermogenesis, herbicide exposure, colony growth, resource constraints, pollinator decline
MeSH terms
Glyphosate, Animals, Bees, Body Temperature Regulation, Environmental Exposure, Glycine, Herbicides, Ecosystem

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