Effects of ivermectin residues on dung invertebrate communities in a UK farmland habitat

Abstract

Ivermectin is a broad‐spectrum antiparasitic drug, routinely administered to livestock worldwide, and concerns have been raised about its impacts on non‐target dung fauna and pasture systems. This study reports the effect of sward structure (long sward, short sward, or bare ground) on ivermectin persistence and cowpat colonisation by invertebrates, during an on‐farm experiment in the United Kingdom. The levels of ivermectin in cowpats were high [21 899 μg kg−1 (dry weight) 1 day after treatment with a pour‐on formulation] and remained detectable throughout the 47‐day trial. Residue breakdown occurred, but levels persisted above those lethal to some invertebrates. Sward structure had no significant effect on ivermectin levels. Ivermectin residues affected cowpat colonisation. Diptera were present in significantly lower numbers in treated cowpats. Coprophagous Coleoptera were less affected by ivermectin residues, although some species were present in significantly higher numbers in treated cowpats in the long sward environments. The non‐target effects of pesticides are currently of concern to policy makers. The results of this research add further weight to these concerns, particularly with regard to the duration for which ivermectin persists in situ in UK pasture, and because of the preferential attraction to treated cowpats exhibited by coprophagous Coleoptera.

Caught in a trap: landscape and climate implications of the insect fauna from a Roman well in Sherwood Forest

“…Their results, limited to single event collections in widely spaced localities, are, however, inconclusive, the low numbers of Aphodius species perhaps reflecting more the impact of biocides like Ivermectin (cf. Sutton et al 2014) on the dung faunas than reality. The small numbers and low diversity of the scarabaeid fauna in their samples contrasts with faunas from the dung of untreated, free-ranging longhorn cattle at Knepp where sampling continued over a summer (Panagiotakopulu, in prep.).…”

When a ‘Waterhole’ Is Full of Dung: An Illustration of the Importance of Environmental Evidence for Refining Archaeological Interpretation of Excavated Features

“…Their results probably reflect the serious recent declines in dung faunas in general, occasioned by the use of ivermectin and other helminthicides (Sutton et al . ), since recent work with undosed Old English Longhorn cattle at Knepp in Sussex provided extensive faunas of Aphodius species and a few Onthophagus (Panagiotakopulu in prep.). G. spiniger remains the most frequently encountered member of the genus in lowland Britain.…”

Escarabajos estercoleros nativos en Chile. Una revisión con énfasis en su ecología

“…(Edwards y Aschenborn, 1987;Ripa et al, 1995;Nichols et al, 2008) y control de parásitos intestinales (v.g., Trichostrongylidae) (Fincher, 1975), los cuales afectan al ganado bovino. Esto es relevante, tanto desde el punto de vista del bienestar animal como desde la salud ambiental, al disminuir el uso de productos veterinarios (Losey y Vaughan, 2006), los cuales recientemente han mostrado efectos no deseados sobre otras comunidades de insectos que colonizan el estiércol (Wall y Beynon, 2012;Sutton et al, 2014). Lo anteriormente mencionado, se traduce para el agricultor en una eventual reducción de sus costos de producción (Losey y Vaughan, 2006), y desde un punto de vista ambiental, contribuye con la conservación de la biodiversidad local, aumentando la resiliencia de estos sistemas ganaderos (Tilman et al, 2006).…”