Acute exposure to selenium disrupts associative conditioning and long-term memory recall in honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Christina M BurdenB H Smith

Abstract

A plethora of toxic compounds - including pesticides, heavy metals, and metalloids - have been detected in honey bees (Apis mellifera) and their colonies. One such compound is selenium, which bees are exposed to by consuming nectar and pollen from flowers grown in contaminated areas. Though selenium is lethal at high concentrations, sublethal exposure may also impair honey bees' ability to function normally. Examining the effect of selenium exposure on learning and memory provides a sensitive assay with which to identify sublethal effects on honey bee health and behavior. To determine whether sublethal selenium exposure causes learning and memory deficits, we used proboscis extension reflex conditioning coupled with recall tests 30min and 24h post-conditioning. We exposed forager honey bees to a single sublethal dose of selenium, and 3h later we used an olfactory conditioning assay to train the bees to discriminate between one odor associated with sucrose-reinforcement and a second unreinforced odor. Following conditioning we tested short- and long-term recall of the task. Acute exposure to as little as 1.8ng of an inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenate) before conditioning caused a reduction in behavioral performance duri...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 1, 2016·Animal Cognition·Kinsey H PhilipsEmilie C Snell-Rood
Jan 24, 2017·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Simon KleinMathieu Lihoreau
May 16, 2017·Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety·Ana M Chicas-MosierCharles I Abramson
Mar 4, 2020·Insects·Heike Feldhaar, Oliver Otti
Mar 15, 2020·Ecotoxicology·Renata Cunha PereiraFlávio Lemes Fernandes
Mar 9, 2017·Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology·Gordana GlavanDamjana Drobne
Feb 13, 2021·Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety·Coline MonchaninMathieu Lihoreau
Jan 15, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Mohammad NaderiRaymond W M Kwong
Feb 24, 2020·Current Opinion in Insect Science·Hilary E ErenlerJeff Ollerton
Jun 10, 2019·Journal of Insect Physiology·Mohamed AlburakiShahid Karim
May 26, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Coline MonchaninMathieu Lihoreau

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