Bumblebees uncovered to glyphosate carried out worse in assessments that required them to recollect which colors had been linked to rewards
Atmosphere
21 October 2022
A buff-tailed bumblebee Ed Brown Wildlife/Alamy
Bumblebees uncovered to the world’s hottest sort of weedkiller discovered it tougher to be taught and bear in mind colors linked to rewards – which may undermine their potential to search out meals for the colony.
Marjo Helander on the College of Turku in Finland and her colleagues investigated how glyphosate, on this case within the herbicide Roundup Gold, affected buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) in colour-based studying and reminiscence assessments.
Over 5 rounds, bees selected between different-coloured synthetic flowers, 5 containing a sugar reward and 5 a bad-tasting quinine answer.
Unexposed …