“…This may be interpreted as the result of a toxic effect of Hg bound-HSP affecting, for instance, lipid peroxidation (Arambourou et al, 2013) or protein functioning and synthesis (Barka et al, 2001). However, regarding the intense Hg trafficking at the subcellular level, this growth impairment could also be attributed, referring to the DEBtox theory (Kooijman et al, 2009), to a change in the energetic allocation between somatic maintenance (excretion and/or detoxification processes) and growth. Although quite moderate, this impact on growth could be particularly important for insects with short adult stages, because fecundity is determined by the size of larva (especially female) upon metamorphosis (Péry et al, 2002).…”