Climate change is affecting bees and putting them in trouble, said Thursday British researchers who have studied the physical evolution of these pollinating insects for more than a century.
By studying bees preserved in museums and institutions in the UK, researchers from Imperial College London found that insects develop asymmetry at the level of their wings when the weather affects them.
His study, which focused on bees from four species preserved since 1900, showed that the asymmetry of their wings – synonymous with stress during development – had increased during the 20th century.
The researchers also noted that the bees developed a more pronounced asymmetry in years when the weather conditions were very hot and humid.
“Our goal was to better understand (bees) responses to certain environmental factors, to learn from the past and thus predict the future,” explains Andres Arce, co-author of the study.
“We anticipate that warmer, wetter conditions will put bees under stress, and the fact that those conditions are becoming more common with climate change means bees may be seeing tough times in the 21st century,” warns Richard Gill, co-author. Imperial College Studies.
AFP
“Entrepreneur. Internet fanatic. Certified zombie scholar. Friendly troublemaker. Bacon expert.”
