DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8mh
title: Insecticide exposure alters flight-dependent gene-expression in honey bees, Apis mellifera

description: The increased reports of wild bee declines and annual losses of managed
 bees poses a significant threat to biodiversity and agricultural
 productivity. While these loses and declines are likely driven by various
 factors, the exposure of bees to neonicotinoid insecticides has raised
 significant concern due to their ubiquitous use and potential adverse
 effects. Despite numerous studies suggesting neonicotinoids can negatively
 affect bees at the behavioral and molecular level, data linking these two
 factors remains sparse. Here we provide novel data on the impact of an
 acute dose of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on the flight performance and
 molecular transcription profiles of foraging honey bees
 (Apis mellifera). Using a controlled experimental design with
 tethered flight mills, we measured flight distance, duration, and speed,
 alongside the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism, hormone
 regulation, and biosynthesis. Acute thiamethoxam exposure resulted in
 hyperactive flight behavior but led to significant dysregulation of genes
 associated with oxidative phosphorylation, indicating potential
 disruptions in cellular energy production. These molecular changes were
 particularly evident when bees engaged in flight activities, suggesting
 that the combined stress of pesticide exposure and physical exertion
 exacerbates negative outcomes. Our study provides new insights into the
 molecular mechanisms underlying neonicotinoid-induced impairments in bee
 physiology and highlights potential long-term consequences on foraging
 abilities and ultimately colony fitness.
description: # Insecticide exposure alters flight-dependent gene-expression in honey
 bees, Apis mellifera This STOTEN-D-24-26154-Complete Data.xlsx file was
 generated on 2024-08-12 by Dr. Lars Straub GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Title of
 Dataset: "STOTEN-D-24-26154-Complete Data.xlsx". 2. Author
 Information A. Principal Investigator Contact Information Name: Lars
 Straub Institution: Institute of Bee Health, Vetsuisse Faculty, University
 of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Address: Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, 3097
 Liebefeld, Bern, Switzerland Email:
 [lars.straub@unibe.ch](mailto:lars.straub@unibe.ch) 3. Date of data
 collection (single date, range, approximate date): Between September 2020
 and March 2021 4. Geographic location of data collection: The study was
 performed at the Institute of Bee Health (IBH), University of Bern,
 Switzerland and at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern
 Switzerland, School of Life Sciences, CH-4132 Muttenz, Switzerland. 5.
 Information about funding sources that supported the collection of the
 data: Support was provided by the Vinetum Foundation to L.S. There was no
 additional external funding received for this study DATA & FILE
 OVERVIEW 1. File List: Excel file ("STOTEN-D-24-26154-Complete
 Data.xlsx") has three sheets. Sheets 1 ('Flight'), 2
 ('Molecular'), and 3 ('Flight x Molecular') have the
 complete raw data required to repeat all the statistical analyses. 2.
 Relationship between files, if important: Yes, however, all statistical
 tests can be run independently as all the relevant data is provided per
 sheet. 3. Additional related data collected that was not included in the
 current data package: None. 4. Are there multiple versions of the dataset?
 No METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION Please see the manuscript for details. \**
 DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR SHEET 1 ('Flight'): 1. Number of
 variables: 13 2. Number of cases/rows: 98 3. Variable List: Specimen:
 Number of the individual bees (i.e., foragers on flight mills) Treatment:
 This is the name of the respective treatment Exposure: Exposed to
 thiamethoxam (1) or not (0) Mill: Flight mill ID Fyler: Did the forager
 fly (1) or not (0) Mass: Weight of the bee in grams Pollen: Was pollen
 present on the legs during the flight Distance [m] - Total distance the
 forager flew on the flight mill in meters Duration [sec] - Total distance
 the forager flew on the flight mill in sec Duration [min] - Total duration
 the forager flew on the flight mill in minutes AvgVelocity - Average
 velocity the forager flew on the flight mill in meters per second
 MaxVelocity - Maximum velocity the forager flew on the flight mill in
 meters per second 1. Missing data codes: "n/a". There is no
 missing or non-available data for this sheet. 2. Specialized formats or
 other abbreviations used: None. \** DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR SHEET 2
 ('Molecular'): 1. Number of variables: 21 2. Number of
 cases/rows: 60 3. Variable List: Sample: Number of the individual bee
 (i.e., specimen) Treatment: This is the name of the respective treatment
 (i.e., 1=control no-flight; 2=insecticide flight; 3=control flight;
 4=insecticide flight) Fyler: Did the forager fly (1) or not (0) Exposure:
 Exposed to thiamethoxam (1) or not (0) Mass: Weight of the bee in grams
 Pollen: Was pollen present on the legs during the flight Distance - Total
 distance the forager flew on the flight mill in meters Duration - Total
 duration the forager flew on the flight mill in minutes AvgVelocity -
 Average velocity the forager flew on the flight mill in meters per second
 MaxVelocity - Maximum velocity the forager flew on the flight mill in
 meters per second cox5a - gene expression level in [mean normalized
 expression] cox5b - gene expression level [mean normalized expression]
 cox6c - gene expression level [mean normalized expression] cox17 - gene
 expression level [mean normalized expression] buffy - gene expression
 level [mean normalized expression] hbg3 - gene expression level [mean
 normalized expression] ilp1 - gene expression level [mean normalized
 expression] vg - gene expression level [mean normalized expression] mrjp1
 - gene expression level [mean normalized expression] mrjp2 - gene
 expression level [mean normalized expression] mrjp3 - gene expression
 level [mean normalized expression] 1. Missing data codes: "n/a".
 This denotes cases in which molecular data is either missing or not
 available. Further, not all specimen were used to collect flight mill
 data. Hence, these samples have "n/a" for all flight variables
 (e.g., distance). 2. Specialized formats or other abbreviations used:
 None.