Long-term effects of heavy metals in food on developmental stages of Aiolopus thalassinus (Saltatoria: Acrididae)

Abstract

Newly hatched F1 nymphs of Aiolopus thalassinus (Fabr.) were fed on food treated with various concentrations of HgCl2, CdCl2, and PbCl2 until the end of adult life. Toxicological observations were followed in the F1 generation and in the F2 generation derived from the heavy metal-loaded F1 parents. The highest concentration of the heavy metal caused 100% mortality of the F1 adults within four weeks. The nymphal duration of the F1 and F2 generations was significantly prolonged after Hg and Cd exposure, but the F1 of the group treated with lead was not affected. The fresh body weight of adults was significantly reduced in the F1 generation of most treatments and in the resulting untreated F2. The lifespan of the F1 adults was shortened. In the F2 generation, although the lifespan was somewhat longer, generally it was still shorter than that of the control adults. The mean egg number laid by F1 adults fed on food contaminated with Hg or Cd was decreased. This decrease was more pronounced in the case of Cd than Hg. In the females fed on food treated with Pb the reduction of the number of egg pods was not remarkable. The hatchability of the eggs laid by F1 females was significantly reduced as compared to the control. The viability of the eggs laid by F2 adults was somewhat decreased due to either a reduced number of egg pods or to a lower rate of hatchability, especially in the case of Cd. The treated adults frequently displayed weakness in their legs, difficulties in walking, tremors, and nervous movements.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Contrasting effects of sewage sludge and commercial fertilizer on egg to adult development of two herbivorous insect species

“…Cadmium is soluble in ground water and thus easily absorbed by plants (Lindqvist, 1992;Schmidt et al, 1992). The concern is that Cd is assimilated by phytophagous insects (Roberts and Johnsson, 1978) and would be biomagnified in the terrestrial food web (Lindqvist, 1988).…”

“…Cadmium is known to be toxic in animals due to its ability to replace Zn and Ca (Fulkerson and Goeller, 1973). An increase in Cd concentration in each link of the food chain was shown to occur in the grasshopper Aiolopus thalassinus (F.), and resulted in reduced fecundity, prolonged 105 nymphal duration, reduced adult body weight, and a shortened adult lifespan (Schmidt et al, 1992). These problems could be a consequence of toxic effects similar to those which occur in Cd contaminated migratory locusts, Locusta migratoria (L.), which are unable to store glycogen in their fat bodies (Martoja et al, 1983).…”

“…Previous studies (e.g. Hughes et al, 1987;Schmidt et al, 1992), which evaluated the impact of heavy metals on the development of herbivorous insects on plants grown in soils treated with sewage sludge, used artificial soil mixtures or hydroponic solutions, rather than soils from field sites subjected to sludge application and heavy metal contamination. The current study provided a unique opportunity to investigate heavy metal uptake and toxicological effects on egg to adult development of phytophagous insects on plants grown in soils from an old-field ecosystem subjected to 11 years of fertilizer and municipal sludge applications.…”

Does the grasshopper Chorthippus brunneus adapt to metal polluted habitats? A study of glutathione‐dependent enzymes in grasshopper nymphs

“…sure time. Moreover, the enzymatic response of an organism may be modified by gender, age, developmental stage, state of nutrition, habitat type and tolerance of various environmental toxins (Hunter et al, 1987;Ahmad et al, 1989;Schmidt et al, 1992;Dallinger, 1993;Augustyniak & Migula, 1996;Isman et al, 1996;Augustyniak & Migula, 2000). The factors mentioned above contribute to the extreme difficulty of describing trends in adaptation to polluted environments.…”

The impact of some inorganic substances on change in body mass of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) larvae in a laboratory experiment

“…In the study on the impact of heavy metals on Aiolopus thalassinus (Fabricius, 1781) conducted by Schmidt et al (1992), the fodder contained 10, 30 and 70 mg kg -1 of HgCl 2 , 25, 75 and 100 mg kg -1 of CdCl 2 and 75, 200 and 500 mg kg -1 of PbCl 2 of dry mass. At the highest concentrations of these substances, mature individuals died very early before laying eggs.…”