Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) represent a random biosampler integrating pollutants over space and time. An effective biomonitor for trace element (TE) pollution should provide a linear response to TE levels in the environment. However, uncertainties in detecting TEs originating in soil limit their use. To address this, nine experimental sites with multiple apiaries were established in the Upper Palatine Forest, Czech Republic. The soils surrounding the hives were characterized by estimations of the pseudototal and (bio)available pools of TEs. Our study aimed to (1) quantify the linear relationships between soil TE indices and TE contents in bees, bee bread, honey, and wax, and (2) verify the biobarrier function protecting honey from TE contamination. Lead (0.046–0.140 µg g⁻¹) and nickel (0.12–4.30 µg g⁻¹) contents in bees showed strong linear correlations with (bio)available Pb (0.012–0.254 µg g⁻¹) and pseudototal Ni (17.1–36.4 µg g⁻¹) in soil (Pearson's r = 0.95 and 0.88, p < 0.005), providing high spatial resolution. A weaker, insignificant correlation was observed for chromium (Cr; r = 0.65) and vanadium (V; 0.44), while no correlation was found for cadmium (Cd). However, the lack of associations for Cr, V, and Cd may result from the low soil TE levels in the region, negligible differences among the majority of sites, and temporal concerns related to different time scales of the biomonitors, impacting the linear model's sensitivity. Biochemical traits in bees, such as the biobarrier function, and different bioavailability of TEs from ingested matter may affect the matrix-to-matrix transfer of TEs in an element-dependent manner. Consequently, the linear response of bee-related biomonitors to TE levels in the environment may significantly deteriorate. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:288–298. © 2023 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

中文翻译：

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蜜蜂和相关基质作为土壤微量元素的生物监测器：评估其在区域农村环境中的敏感性

蜜蜂（Apis mellifera L.）代表了一种随机生物采样器，整合了空间和时间上的污染物。微量元素 (TE) 污染的有效生物监测仪应该对环境中的 TE 水平提供线性响应。然而，检测源自土壤的 TE 的不确定性限制了它们的使用。为了解决这个问题，在捷克共和国的上帕拉蒂尼森林建立了九个拥有多个养蜂场的实验点。通过估计 TE 的拟总量和（生物）可用库来表征蜂巢周围的土壤。我们的研究旨在 (1) 量化土壤 TE 指数与蜜蜂、蜂面包、蜂蜜和蜡中 TE 含量之间的线性关系，以及 (2) 验证保护蜂蜜免受 TE 污染的生物屏障功能。蜜蜂中的铅 (0.046–0.140 µg g ⁻¹ ) 和镍 (0.12–4.30 µg g ⁻¹ ) 含量与（生物）有效 Pb (0.012–0.254 µg g ⁻¹ ) 和假总 Ni (17.1–36.4 µg g ⁻¹ ) 土壤中（Pearson r  = 0.95 和 0.88，p  < 0.005），提供高空间分辨率。铬（Cr； r = 0.65）和钒（V；0.44）观察到较弱且不显着的相关性 ，而镉（Cd）则没有发现相关性。然而，Cr、V 和 Cd 缺乏关联可能是由于该地区土壤 TE 水平较低、大多数地点之间的差异可以忽略不计，以及与生物监测器不同时间尺度相关的时间问题，影响了线性模型的灵敏度。蜜蜂的生化特征，例如生物屏障功能以及摄入物质中 TE 的不同生物利用度可能会以元素依赖性方式影响 TE 的基质到基质转移。因此，与蜜蜂相关的生物监测器对环境中 TE 水平的线性响应可能会显着恶化。环境毒理学2024；43：288–298。© 2023 作者。《环境毒理学和化学》由 Wiley periodicals LLC 代表 SETAC 出版。