Metal found in flowers.. could affect bumblebees?
In a report that was released on 2nd April 2013, it shows that a high amount of Nickel and Aluminium was found in soil containing flowers. The risk here is for bumblebees who will pollinate these flowers, which the high amount of metal in the flowers could kill the bumblebees resulting in a bigger loss of bees.
“Although many metals are required by living organisms in small amounts, they can be toxic to both plants and animals when found in moderate to high concentrations,” said Tia-Lynn Ashman, principal investigator of the study and professor and associate chair in Pitt’s Department of Biological Sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.
“Beyond leading to mortality, these metals can interfere with insect taste perception, agility, and working memory – all necessary attributes for busy bumblebee workers.”
Observed visits to the area in question meant that all flowers in the array were to be replaced with new flowers, to ensure accurate results, compared to the first results found within the contaminated area.
“We found that the bees still visited those flowers contaminated by metal, indicating that they can’t detect metal from afar,” said Ashman. “However, once bumblebees arrive at flowers and sample the nectar, they are able to discriminate against certain metals.”
In the study, the bees were able to taste, discriminate against, and leave flowers containing nickel. However, this was not the case for the aluminum-treated flowers, as the bees foraged on the contaminated flowers for time periods equal to those of the noncontaminated flowers.
“It’s unclear why the bees didn’t sense the aluminum,” said Meindl. “However, past studies show that the concentrations of aluminum found throughout blooms tend to be higher than concentrations of nickel. This suggests that the bees may be more tolerant or immune to its presence.”al