New Mexcio State University Las Cruces, New Mexico
Hormesis is a biphasic response where low doses result in stimulatory and protective responses while high doses lead to damage and premature death. Animals exposed to hormesis, whether from temperature, dehydration, oxygen, or xenobiotics, experience faster recovery times, higher levels of activity, longer life, and/or higher reproduction; among other outcomes. Most of the work around insect hormesis focuses on the positive effects of this type of plastic response in the short period following the exposure. But little is known about the length of the effect of a single hormetic exposure. To test whether a single event can have lifelong consequences, we use the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata, and anoxia as our treatment. We previously identified that one hour of anoxia results in a strong hormetic response in this species. We exposed one day old bees to anoxia and tracked their performance for most of their lives (~30 days). Weekly, we measured starvation resistance, flight ability, and walking activity for both males and females. We also tracked their longevity and reproductive output. We report here that the effects of anoxia hormesis are long lasting and are still present days before natural death. Some of these positive performance effects are sex specific and carry a heavy cost. We discuss the implications of that potential trade-off.