Macroinvertebrate community response to repeated short-term pulses of the insecticide imidacloprid

Mohr, Silvia; Berghahn, Rüdiger; Schmiediche, Ronny; Hübner, Verena; Loth, Stefan; Feibicke, Michael; Mailahn, Wolfgang; Wogram, Jörn

doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.11.016

Cited by 72 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Although the number of semi-field experiments performed with neonicotinoids is relatively low as compared to the other pesticide classes, a couple of studies provide evidence of the high sensitivity of Ephemeroptera nymphs to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid under lentic and lotic conditions [45,46]. Discrepancies between the sensitivity ranking showed here and the results of short-term effects observed in semi-field experiments are mainly explained by (i) the typically low occurrence of some insect taxa (e.g.…”

Section: Acc E P Ted P R E P R I Ntmentioning

confidence: 52%

Evaluating aquatic invertebrate vulnerability to insecticides based on intrinsic sensitivity, biological traits, and toxic mode of action

Rico

Brink

2015

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

119

105

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In the present study, the authors evaluated the vulnerability of aquatic invertebrates to insecticides based on their intrinsic sensitivity and their population-level recovery potential. The relative sensitivity of invertebrates to 5 different classes of insecticides was calculated at the genus, family, and order levels using the acute toxicity data available in the US Environmental Protection Agency ECOTOX database. Biological trait information was linked to the calculated relative sensitivity to evaluate correlations between traits and sensitivity and to calculate a vulnerability index, which combines intrinsic sensitivity and traits describing the recovery potential of populations partially exposed to insecticides (e.g., voltinism, flying strength, occurrence in drift). The analysis shows that the relative sensitivity of arthropods depends on the insecticide mode of action. Traits such as degree of sclerotization, size, and respiration type showed good correlation to sensitivity and can be used to make predictions for invertebrate taxa without a priori sensitivity knowledge. The vulnerability analysis revealed that some of the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa were vulnerable to all insecticide classes and indicated that particular gastropod and bivalve species were potentially vulnerable. Microcrustaceans (e.g., daphnids, copepods) showed low potential vulnerability, particularly in lentic ecosystems. The methods described in the present study can be used for the selection of focal species to be included as part of ecological scenarios and higher tier risk assessments.

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Section: Acc E P Ted P R E P R I Ntmentioning

confidence: 52%

Evaluating aquatic invertebrate vulnerability to insecticides based on intrinsic sensitivity, biological traits, and toxic mode of action

Rico

Brink

2015

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

119

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…While laboratory experiments can provide a wealth of information on the effects of pesticides on individuals and populations, community-level experiments can broaden our perspective of how natural systems are likely to respond to these common stressors, including neonicotinoids [22–27]. Ecological communities are complex systems composed of species representing different trophic levels and functional groups that directly and indirectly interact.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of clothianidin on aquatic communities: Evaluating the impacts of lethal and sublethal exposure to neonicotinoids

et al. 2017

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The widespread usage of neonicotinoid insecticides has sparked concern over their effects on non-target organisms. While research has largely focused on terrestrial systems, the low soil binding and high water solubility of neonicotinoids, paired with their extensive use on the landscape, puts aquatic environments at high risk for contamination via runoff events. We assessed the potential threat of these compounds to wetland communities using a combination of field surveys and experimental exposures including concentrations that are representative of what invertebrates experience in the field. In laboratory toxicity experiments, LC50 values ranged from 0.002 ppm to 1.2 ppm for aquatic invertebrates exposed to clothianidin. However, freshwater snails and amphibian larvae showed high tolerance to the chemical with no mortality observed at the highest dissolvable concentration of the insecticide. We also observed behavioral effects of clothianidin. Water bugs, Belostoma flumineum, displayed a dose-dependent reduction in feeding rate following exposure to clothianidin. Similarly, crayfish, Orconectes propinquus, exhibited reduced responsiveness to stimulus with increasing clothianidin concentration. Using a semi-natural mesocosm experiment, we manipulated clothianidin concentration (0.6, 5, and 352 ppb) and the presence of predatory invertebrates to explore community-level effects. We observed high invertebrate predator mortality with increases in clothianidin concentration. With increased predator mortality, prey survival increased by 50% at the highest clothianidin concentration. Thus, clothianidin contamination can result in a top-down trophic cascade in a community dominated by invertebrate predators. In our Indiana field study, we detected clothianidin (max = 176 ppb), imidacloprid (max = 141 ppb), and acetamiprid (max = 7 ppb) in soil samples. In water samples, we detected clothianidin (max = 0.67 ppb), imidacloprid (max = 0.18 ppb), and thiamethoxam (max = 2,568 ppb). Neonicotinoids were detected in >56% of soil samples and >90% of the water samples, which reflects a growing understanding that neonicotinoids are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Collectively, our results underscore the need for additional research into the effects of neonicotinoids on aquatic communities and ecosystems.

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“…EFSA (2008) thus admits: BOverall it is concluded that a high risk for aquatic organisms is indicated for the representative uses in orchards and tomatoes requiring substantial risk mitigation measures to reduce spray drift and runoff. BImidacloprid surface water concentrations (n=21) were reported for six countries across the EU, with concentrations reaching up to >200 μg/L (Mohr et al 2012;Starner and Goh 2012) and 28.6 % of all MIC SW exceeding the RAC SW ; these findings, again, challenge the overall protectiveness of the pre-authorization regulatory risk assessment in the EU.…”

Section: Case Studies: Eu Regulatory Risk Assessments For Bifenthrin mentioning

confidence: 81%

Pesticide authorization in the EU—environment unprotected?

Stehle

Schulz

2015

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Pesticides constitute an integral part of high-intensity European agriculture. Prior to their authorization, a highly elaborated environmental risk assessment is mandatory according to EU pesticide legislation, i.e., Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009. However, no field data-based evaluation of the risk assessment outcome, i.e., the regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs), and therefore of the overall protectiveness of EU pesticide regulations exists. We conducted here a comprehensive meta-analysis using peer-reviewed literature on agricultural insecticide concentrations in EU surface waters and evaluated associated risks using the RACs derived from official European pesticide registration documents. As a result, 44.7 % of the 1566 cases of measured insecticide concentrations (MICs) in EU surface waters exceeded their respective RACs. It follows that current EU pesticide regulations do not protect the aquatic environment and that insecticides threaten aquatic biodiversity. RAC exceedances were significantly higher for insecticides authorized using conservative tier-I RACs and for more recently developed insecticide classes, i.e., pyrethroids. In addition, we identified higher risks, e.g., for smaller surface waters that are specifically considered in the regulatory risk assessment schemes. We illustrate the shortcomings of the EU regulatory risk assessment using two case studies that contextualize the respective risk assessment outcomes to field exposure. Overall, our meta-analysis challenges the field relevance and protectiveness of the regulatory environmental risk assessment conducted for pesticide authorization in the EU and indicates that critical revisions of related pesticide regulations and effective mitigation measures are urgently needed to substantially reduce the environmental risks arising from agricultural insecticide use.

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Macroinvertebrate community response to repeated short-term pulses of the insecticide imidacloprid

Cited by 72 publications

References 51 publications

Evaluating aquatic invertebrate vulnerability to insecticides based on intrinsic sensitivity, biological traits, and toxic mode of action

Evaluating aquatic invertebrate vulnerability to insecticides based on intrinsic sensitivity, biological traits, and toxic mode of action

Effects of clothianidin on aquatic communities: Evaluating the impacts of lethal and sublethal exposure to neonicotinoids

Pesticide authorization in the EU—environment unprotected?

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