D3022: Social insects under environmental stress: Consequences for behavior and fitness

Insects play important roles in ecosystems as pollinators, decomposers, scavengers, and food for many organisms. The alarming global decline of insects, driven primarily by habitat destruction, exposure to anthropogenic pollutants, and climate change, seriously threatens ecosystem stability. Among these stressors, rising levels of anthropogenic pollution, particularly from agrochemicals, are especially concerning as human activities continue to intensify. Rising temperatures can amplify these effects by imposing additional physiological stress and altering species behavior. Eusocial insects, such as ants (Formicidae), termites (Blattodea), bees (Apidae), and wasps (Vespidae), are especially vulnerable to pollutants and temperature rise due to their multigenerational colonies and semi-sessile nature. To better understand potential differences in vulnerability, we are conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing flying and non-flying eusocial insects, focusing on the effects of pollutants and temperature on survival, foraging behavior, and fitness. Preliminary results reveal a strong research bias, with 78% of studies focusing on bees and over half of those concentrating on the genus Apis. Research on ants and termites was much less common, each representing around 10% of all studies, while wasps accounted for only 1%. Most studies focused on survival, whereas fitness received the least attention, being examined in only 8% of studies. Overall, pollutants lowered survival, disrupted foraging activity, and reduced key fitness traits. These findings provide a critical foundation for future research into how multiple stressors influence the behavior and fitness of these overlooked yet essential social insects.