Collembola are Among the Most Pesticide‐Sensitive Soil Fauna Groups: A Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

Pesticides are a major concern because of their deleterious impacts on biodiversity and on the ecological functions provided by living organisms. Although earthworms are well studied, smaller-sized organisms, such as Collembola, also contribute to the agroecosystem functioning, and their sensitivity to pesticides makes them good bioindicators of soil quality. Using data from 21 publications, we performed a meta-analysis to compare the pesticide sensitivity of Collembola with other soil invertebrate groups and discuss the relevance of including tests on representatives of this microarthropods group in European regulation tests. We defined a paired observation as the median lethal concentration or the median effect concentration values for both Collembola species and another soil fauna group (Acari, enchytraeids, earthworms, isopods, and nematodes) under a unique combination of author, year, substance, and type of soil (61 and 57 paired observations for reproduction and lethal effects). In some studies, paired comparisons were available for several groups of soil fauna. We demonstrated that Collembola are among the most sensitive soil fauna groups to a variety of pesticides, notably for effects on reproduction, mostly compared with earthworms and enchytraeids. Because there are several modes of exposure and explaining factors, we suggest moving from a single-species study to a food-chain approach integrating different taxonomic groups. Differences between soil fauna groups in sensitivity or response to pesticides could have effects on soil communities and also on soil functions.

Pain and Suffering in Farmed Animals: First Steps Towards Better Understanding and Management (Musk and Clutton, 2024) - Insects

“…No species of Collembola, Protura, or Diplura are farmed in large numbers (to our knowledge), however these groups face many of the same challenges as the wild insects. In particular, Collembola have been shown to be among the most pesticide-sensitive of all soil fauna present in high numbers in agroecosystems (Joimel et al 2022). Many pest control websites advertise the use of pesticides to control outdoor populations of Collembola in humid regions.…”

Insecticide risk assessment in tropical soils: relevant concentrations of fipronil cause high risk to the edaphic community

“…Despite the use of the arti cial soil in risk assessment, even though TER-HC 5 and TER-HC 50 values were higher than the observed for the natural soil, they were still very sensitive to protect the edaphic community. Joimel et al, (2022), in a meta-analysis to compare collembola sensitivity to other soil organisms observed that collembolans are among the most sensitive organisms to pesticides and that toxicity is more pronounced in natural than in arti cial soils.…”

Edaphic mesofauna responses to land use change for sugarcane cultivation: insights from contrasting soil textures

“…The diversity of mesofauna is intrinsically linked to the physical and chemical properties of the soils, making them valuable drivers of pore formation and nutrient cycling (Porre et al, 2016) but also as indicators of changes in soil properties (Pereira R de et al, 2012;Rieff et al, 2016). Their rapid response to environmental changes and sensitivity to pesticides and soil amendments make them suitable soil health indicators (Joimel et al, 2022). The Soil Biological Quality Index (BSQ) considers the presence/absence of soil mesofauna as a soil quality indicator (Parisi et al, 2005).…”