Abstract
Insect pollinators are experiencing strong declines, partly driven by pesticides and other chemical pollutants. Most ecotoxicological studies have focused on insecticides while other products, such as fungicides and herbicides, and other chemical pollutants, such as heavy metals and veterinary drugs, have received less attention. Though non-insecticide compounds are considered safe for bees, their impacts cannot be excluded. In addition, most ecotoxicological studies are limited to the honey bee, Apis mellifera even though insect pollinators comprise 250,000 species. POLYPOLL main goal is to cover these gaps by assessing the impact of different chemical pollutants on three model species: A. mellifera, Osmia bicornis and Eristalis tenax.
Results achieved
During the two-year project, two main experiments were conducted to assess the impact of two pollutant combinations on three model pollinator species. The glyphosate–ivermectin combination was tested at the University of Bologna, while experiments involving the copper–boscalid combination were carried out at the University of Milan. In both experiments, insects were chronically exposed throughout their lifespan to field-realistic concentrations of the compounds via ingestion. For each experiment, a subset of individuals was sampled for biomarker analyses, conducted by the University of Siena, and microbiome analyses, performed by the University of Milan. By integrating multiple approaches, POLYPOLL has contributed to: (1) demonstrating that different model species respond differently to chemical stressors and their mixtures; (2) showing that some of these stressors can reduce survival, alter the gut microbiome, and induce sublethal toxicological effects, including genotoxic and immunotoxic responses; and (3) identifying key biomarkers and developing statistical models capable of ranking stress levels for each investigated species. Project communication and dissemination activities were supported through the creation of the POLYPOLL website (https://site.unibo.it/polypoll/it/il-progetto), available in both Italian and English, and through the organization of a final conference at which the project results were presented. Scientific publications co-authored by all project partners are currently in preparation. In addition, project findings have been presented at national and international conferences, including EurBee 10, Apimondia 2025, and the XXVIII Congresso Nazionale di Entomologia. Overall, our findings contribute to advancing the transition toward next-generation, systems-based environmental risk assessment for chemical registration and, consequently, to making agricultural ecosystems more pollinator-friendly.Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Fabio Sgolastra
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari
Coordinator:
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna(Italy)
Total Eu Contribution: Euro (EUR) 206.529,00
Total Unibo Contribution: Euro (EUR) 66.086,00
Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date:
12/10/2023
End Date:
28/02/2026
