Biodiversity Decline as a Consequence of an Inappropriate Environmental Risk Assessment of Pesticides

Brühl, Carsten A.; Zaller, Johann G.

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2019.00177

Cited by 240 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Our results also suggest that other Collembola species than the commonly used F. candida might be suitable surrogate species for ERAs. Clearly, more investigations considering long-term effects, reproduction and cascading effects at different trophic levels seem necessary (Brühl and Zaller 2019). Based on our findings of interactive effects between SOM content and GBHs/AIs, we suggest that ERAs also consider potential nontarget effects under different soil characteristics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Commercial glyphosate-based herbicides effects on springtails (Collembola) differ from those of their respective active ingredients and vary with soil organic matter content

Maderthaner

Weber

Takács

et al. 2020

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are currently the most widely used agrochemicals for weed control. Environmental risk assessments (ERA) on nontarget organisms mostly consider the active ingredients (AIs) of these herbicides, while much less is known on effects of commercial GBH formulations that are actually applied in the field. Moreover, it is largely unknown to what extent different soil characteristics alter potential side effects of herbicides. We conducted a greenhouse experiment growing a model weed population of Amaranthus retroflexus in arable field soil with either 3.0 or 4.1% soil organic matter (SOM) content and treated these weeds either with GBHs (Roundup LB Plus, Touchdown Quattro, Roundup PowerFlex) or their respective AIs (isopropylammonium, diammonium or potassium salts of glyphosate) at recommended dosages. Control pots were mechanically weeded. Nontarget effects were assessed on the surface activity of the springtail species Sminthurinus niger (pitfall trapping) and litter decomposition in the soil (teabag approach). Both GBHs and AIs increased the surface activity of springtails compared to control pots; springtail activity was higher under GBHs than under corresponding AIs. Stimulation of springtail activity was much higher in soil with higher SOM content than with low SOM content (significant treatment x SOM interaction). Litter decomposition was unaffected by GBHs, AIs or SOM levels. We suggest that ERAs for pesticides should be performed with actually applied herbicides rather than only on AIs and should also consider influences of different soil properties.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Commercial glyphosate-based herbicides effects on springtails (Collembola) differ from those of their respective active ingredients and vary with soil organic matter content

Maderthaner

Weber

Takács

et al. 2020

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…It can inflict severe crop damage in the absence of appropriate control measures [24,25]. Today, insecticides are still the main pest control solution but in most European countries, the number of registered products is decreasing due to their harmful impact on the environment and human health [26,27]. It has long been known that D. radicum prefers some cultivated hosts to others [28,29] with an especially strong preference for Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L.) [30].…”

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confidence: 99%

Oviposition Preference of the Cabbage Root Fly towards Some Chinese Cabbage Cultivars: A Search for Future Trap Crop Candidates

Lamy

Bellec

Rusu-Stievenard

et al. 2020

Insects

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The development of integrated pest management strategies becomes more and more pressing in view of potential harmful effects of synthetic pesticides on the environment and human health. A promising alternative strategy against Delia radicum is the use of trap crops. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis and subsp. chinensis) is a highly sensitive Brassicaceae species previously identified as a good candidate to attract the cabbage root fly away from other crops. Here, we carried out multi-choice experiments both in the laboratory and in field conditions to measure the oviposition susceptibilities of different subspecies and cultivars of Chinese cabbages as compared to a broccoli reference. We found large differences among subspecies and cultivars of the Chinese cabbage, which received three to eleven times more eggs than the broccoli reference in field conditions. In laboratory conditions, the chinensis subspecies did not receive more eggs than the broccoli reference. We conclude that D. radicum largely prefers to lay eggs on the pekinensis subspecies of Chinese cabbage compared to the chinensis subspecies or broccoli. Some pekinensis cultivars, which received over ten times more eggs than broccoli in the field, appear especially promising candidates to further develop trap crop strategies against the cabbage root fly.Insects 2020, 11, 127 2 of 12 or to lay eggs on unsuitable ones, resulting in poor larval development [12]. This "optimal bad motherhood" hypothesis [13] appears for example when the potentially most suitable plant host for larvae is unsuitable for adult fitness and thus unattractive to mothers. Oligophagy increases the likelihood that the same plant species is best for the fitness of adults and larvae, so that oligophagous insects are less likely to be "optimal bad mothers" than polyphagous ones [14,15].Knowledge about insect host selection and preferences can be used to develop integrated pest management (IPM) strategies where the crop to be protected from a pest can be cultivated in combination with a far more attractive host plant used as a trap crop [16,17]. The trap crop diverts the pest from the main crop, which decreases economic damage. Moreover, if the trap crop is unsuitable for larvae (dead-end trap cropping), bad mother choice can be exploited to reduce the local population of the pest [18], limiting future crop damage. Numerous studies have revealed which plant hosts are preferred by major phytophagous insect pests and which are less appropriate for their larvae, with potential use in trap crop strategies [19][20][21]. However, preferences of insect pests have often been studied at the supraspecific or specific taxonomic levels while the wide infraspecific diversity created by plant breeding and varietal creation remains largely unexplored. This lack of information comes from the fact that conventional plant protection strategies based on pesticides do not require an extensive knowledge of plant susceptibility to insect pests and accordingly this trait is rarely considered i...

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“…The above are examples adding to the mounting evidence that current risk assessments for registration of chemicals in OECD countries are inadequate to protect biodiversity and ecosystems and need a revamp [94][95][96]. To provide more realistic risk assessments of agricultural and other chemicals, toxicological bioassays designed for detecting the time-cumulative toxicity of substances should be made mandatory [17,85].…”

Section: Implications For Risk Assessment Of Neonicotinoidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time-Cumulative Toxicity of Neonicotinoids: Experimental Evidence and Implications for Environmental Risk Assessments

Sánchez‐Bayo

Tennekes²

2020

IJERPH

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Our mechanistic understanding of the toxicity of chemicals that target biochemical and/or physiological pathways, such as pesticides and medical drugs is that they do so by binding to specific molecules. The nature of the latter molecules (e.g., enzymes, receptors, DNA, proteins, etc.) and the strength of the binding to such chemicals elicit a toxic effect in organisms, which magnitude depends on the doses exposed to within a given timeframe. While dose and time of exposure are critical factors determining the toxicity of pesticides, different types of chemicals behave differently. Experimental evidence demonstrates that the toxicity of neonicotinoids increases with exposure time as much as with the dose, and therefore it has been described as time-cumulative toxicity. Examples for aquatic and terrestrial organisms are shown here. This pattern of toxicity, also found among carcinogenic compounds and other toxicants, has been ignored in ecotoxicology and risk assessments for a long time. The implications of the time-cumulative toxicity of neonicotinoids on non-target organisms of aquatic and terrestrial environments are far reaching. Firstly, neonicotinoids are incompatible with integrated pest management (IPM) approaches and secondly regulatory assessments for this class of compounds cannot be based solely on exposure doses but need also to take into consideration the time factor.

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Biodiversity Decline as a Consequence of an Inappropriate Environmental Risk Assessment of Pesticides

Cited by 240 publications

References 33 publications

Commercial glyphosate-based herbicides effects on springtails (Collembola) differ from those of their respective active ingredients and vary with soil organic matter content

Commercial glyphosate-based herbicides effects on springtails (Collembola) differ from those of their respective active ingredients and vary with soil organic matter content

Oviposition Preference of the Cabbage Root Fly towards Some Chinese Cabbage Cultivars: A Search for Future Trap Crop Candidates

Time-Cumulative Toxicity of Neonicotinoids: Experimental Evidence and Implications for Environmental Risk Assessments

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