Impacts of pesticide exposure on insect pollinators

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A large part of our research has been to investigate how exposure to sublethal concentrations of pesticides (typically encountered in the wild) affects insect pollinators.

We study effects at multiple biological levels of organisation, from gene function to physiology, behaviour and foraging performance and how together these effects translate to impacts on reproductive output, fitness & ecosystem functional roles.

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Using bumblebees as a focal study system, our projects have included looking at the effects of pesticide exposure on:

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1) Gene expression

2) Brain development 

3) Body & colony temperatures

4) Locomotory behaviours, including flight

5) Learning behaviours

5) Foraging performance & choices

6) Colony development & fitness

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This work has influenced how organisations such as the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) consider pesticide risk.