WASHINGTON: As per a novel research, aluminum contamination may be affecting bee cognition and further leading to the decline in bumblebee populations.
Study researchers said that aluminum is known for its toxicity level. It has been connected with death of fish in acid lakes, low crop productivity in acid sulphate soils. Now, it is being considered that the metal may have a role in the decline of bees.
In the recent research, the researchers collected pupae from colonies of naturally foraging bumblebees. The study researchers assessed traces of aluminum and found that pupae were heavily contaminated with aluminum ranging from 13 to nearly 200 ppm.
In human brain tissue, a value of 3 ppm is considered as dangerous, which means that bees might be suffering from the contamination.
Chris Exley, a leading authority of human exposure to aluminum, said, “It is widely accepted that a number of interacting factors are likely to be involved in the decline of bees and other pollinators-lack of flowers, attacks by parasites, and exposure to pesticide cocktails, for example”.
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