Academic Journal
Microparticles contamination in urban wild bees: predominance of cellulose-derived fibres over microplastics.
| Τίτλος: | Microparticles contamination in urban wild bees: predominance of cellulose-derived fibres over microplastics. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Dal Lago A; Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA) Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment (CREA-AA), Bologna, Italy; Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy., Ranalli R; Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy., Fajardo C; Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Biomedicina y Biotecnología, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33.6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain., Ortega-Ojeda FE; Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33.6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain., Montalvo García G; Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales, Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33.6, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Spain., Galloni M; Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy., Cilia G; Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (CREA) Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment (CREA-AA), Bologna, Italy. Electronic address: giovanni.cilia@crea.gov.it. |
| Πηγή: | Environmental research [Environ Res] 2026 Oct 01; Vol. 307, pp. 125463. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 12. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0147621 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1096-0953 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00139351 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Environ Res Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2000- > : Amsterdam : Elsevier Original Publication: New York, Academic Press. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Microplastics*/analysis , Cellulose*/analysis , Air Pollutants*/analysis , Particulate Matter*/analysis , Environmental Monitoring*, Bees/chemistry ; Animals ; Italy ; Cities ; Female |
| Περίληψη: | Anthropogenic microparticles, including synthetic microplastics (MPs), and cellulose-based materials-natural or semi-synthetic fibres-are increasingly pervasive in terrestrial ecosystems and may represent an underexplored threat to pollinators. This study investigated microparticle contamination in wild bees to evaluate their potential as bioindicators of airborne particulate pollution in urban environments. Between May and August 2024, 677 wild bee individuals from 26 genera were sampled across urbanisation gradients in two metropolitan areas of northern Italy. Microparticles adhering to bee bodies were characterised according to body position, morphology, colour, and chemical composition through stereomicroscopy and micro-FTIR analysis. A total of 3116 microparticles were detected, predominantly white fibres (69 %) located on the legs (38 %), consistent with passive accumulation during foraging and airborne exposure. Cellulose-derived materials (e.g., cellophane-like and textile-associated fibres), represented the dominant particle class, while synthetic polymers (e.g., PET, PP, PS, and PUR) occurred at lower frequencies. Larger-bodied and hairier genera (Xylocopa and Anthophora), as well as female bees, carried significantly higher microparticle loads, highlighting the role of species-specific functional traits in contaminant exposure. Microparticles were detected across all urbanisation levels, suggesting that local human activities and atmospheric transport collectively shape exposure patterns. These findings provide the first evidence that wild bee communities are broadly contaminated by diverse anthropogenic microparticles, extending beyond conventional plastics to include cellulose fibres. Wild bees therefore emerge as sensitive bioindicators of terrestrial airborne microparticle pollution, while the ecological and physiological implications of chronic exposure to both synthetic and non-synthetic particles warrant urgent further investigation. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Airborne pollution; Bee ecology; Cellulose-based fibres; Environmental monitoring; Pollutants; Urban ecosystems |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (Microplastics) 9004-34-6 (Cellulose) 0 (Air Pollutants) 0 (Particulate Matter) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260812 Date Completed: 20260912 Latest Revision: 20260912 |
| Update Code: | 20260913 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.envres.2026.125463 |
| PMID: | 42586295 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1096-0953 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.envres.2026.125463 |