Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 24, 2026
10:35
Monitoring Colony-level Effects of Sublethal Pesticide Exposure on Honey Bees
Published on: November 15, 2017
9.7K
Sublethal exposure, insecticide resistance, and community stress
Raul Narciso C Guedes1, Spencer S Walse2, James E Throne2
1Departamento de Entomologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG 36570-900, Brazil; USDA, Agricultural Research Service, San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, 9611 South Riverbend Avenue, Parlier, CA 93648-9757, United States.
Current Opinion in Insect Science
|August 21, 2017
Summary
Insecticides offer pest management benefits but often receive biased focus on lethal effects. This study explores the under-researched ecological impacts of common, sublethal insecticide exposures on populations and communities.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecotoxicology
- Ecology
Background:
- Insecticides are widely used for pest management but are also significant anthropogenic environmental stressors.
- Current research and regulatory approaches predominantly focus on lethal effects, neglecting sublethal impacts.
- Biased perceptions, driven by application methods and market value, contribute to a narrow focus on direct toxicity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the scarcity of research on sublethal insecticide exposures.
- To explore the potential ecological roles of sublethal effects in structuring populations and communities.
- To identify and address knowledge gaps concerning the broader environmental impacts of insecticides.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on insecticide impacts.
- Analysis of research trends focusing on lethal versus sublethal effects.
- Identification of ecological interactions potentially affected by sublethal exposures.
Main Results:
- Studies on insecticide resistance and effects are predominantly population-based.
- Sublethal insecticide exposures and their community-level effects are understudied.
- Temporal and spatial dynamics of insecticide impacts are often disregarded.
Conclusions:
- There is a critical need for more holistic research on sublethal insecticide effects.
- Understanding sublethal exposures is crucial for comprehensive environmental risk assessment.
- Future studies should integrate community and ecosystem perspectives to evaluate insecticide impacts.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Toxic Reactions: Overview
2.7K
When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
2.7K
01:36Types of Toxins
3.8K
Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
3.8K
01:23Toxicity Testing in Animals
62
Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...
62
01:17Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?
29.7K
The outcome of any hypothesis testing leads to rejecting or not rejecting the null hypothesis. This decision is taken based on the analysis of the data, an appropriate test statistic, an appropriate confidence level, the critical values, and P-values. However, when the evidence suggests that the null hypothesis cannot be rejected, is it right to say, 'Accept' the null hypothesis?
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null...
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null...
29.7K