Fitness Effects of Chlorpyrifos in the Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum Strongly Depend upon Temperature and Food Level and Can Bridge Metamorphosis

Co-exposure of environmental contaminants with unfavorable temperature or humidity/moisture: Joint hazards and underlying mechanisms

In the context of global climate change, organisms in their natural habitats usually suffer from unfavorable climatic conditions together with environmental pollution. Temperature and humidity (or moisture) are two central climatic factors, while their relationships with the toxicity of contaminants are not well understood. This review provides a synthesis of existing knowledge on important interactions between contaminant toxicity and climatic conditions of unfavorable temperature, soil moisture, and air humidity. Both high temperature and low moisture can extensively pose severe combined hazards with organic pollutants, heavy metal ions, nanoparticles, or microplastics. There is more information on the combined effects on animalia than on other kingdoms. Prevalent mechanisms underlying their joint effects include the increased bioavailability and bioaccumulation of contaminants, modified biotransformation of contaminants, enhanced induction of oxidative stress, accelerated energy consumption, interference with cell membranes, and depletion of bodily fluids. However, the interactions of contaminants with low temperature or high humidity/moisture, particularly on plants and microorganisms, are relatively vague and need to be further revealed. This work emphasizes that the co-exposure of chemical and physical stressors results in detrimental effects generally greater than those caused by either stressor. It is necessary to take this into consideration in the ecological risk assessment of both environmental contamination and climate change.

Synergistic survival-related effects of larval exposure to an aquatic pollutant and food stress get stronger during and especially after metamorphosis and shape fitness of terrestrial adults

To improve the ecological risk assessment of aquatic pollutants it is needed to study their effects not only in the aquatic larval stage, but also in the terrestrial adult stage of the many animals with a complex life cycle. This remains understudied, especially with regard to interactive effects between aquatic pollutants and natural abiotic stressors. We studied effects of exposure to the pesticide DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol) and how these were modulated by limited food availability in the aquatic larvae, and the possible delayed effects in the terrestrial adults of the damselfly Lestes viridis. Our results revealed that DNP and low food each had large negative effects on the life history, behaviour and to a lesser extent on the physiology of not only the larvae, but also the adults. Food limitation magnified the negative effects of DNP as seen by a strong decline in larval survival, metamorphosis success and adult lifespan. Notably, the synergism between the aquatic pollutant and food limitation for survival-related traits was stronger in the non-exposed adults than in the exposed larvae, likely because metamorphosis is stressful itself. Our results highlight that identifying effects of aquatic pollutants and synergisms with natural abiotic stressors, not only in the aquatic larval but also in the terrestrial adult stage, is crucial to fully assess the ecological impact of aquatic pollutants and to reveal the impact on the receiving terrestrial ecosystem through a changed aquatic-terrestrial subsidy.

Effects of conventionally treated and ozonated wastewater on the damselfly larva oxylipidome in response to on-site exposure

Pharmaceutical residues discharged through insufficiently treated or untreated wastewater enter aquatic environments, where they may adversely impact organisms such as aquatic invertebrates. Ozonation, an advanced wastewater treatment technique, has been successfully implemented to enhance the removal of a broad range of pharmaceuticals, however diverse byproducts and transformation products that are formed during the ozonation process make it difficult to predict how ozonated wastewater may affect aquatic biota. The aim of this study was to investigate effects on fatty acid metabolites, oxylipins, in a common invertebrate species, damselfly larvae, after on-site exposure to conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and additionally ozonated effluent at a full-scale WWTP. Subsequent ozonation of the conventionally treated wastewater was assessed in terms of i) removal of pharmaceuticals and ii) potential sub-lethal effects on the oxylipidome. Northern damselfly (Coenagrion hastulatum) larvae were exposed for six days in the treatment plant facility to either conventional WWTP effluent or ozonated effluent and the effects on pharmaceutical levels and oxylipin levels were compared with those from tap water control exposure. Ozonation removed pharmaceuticals at an average removal efficiency of 67% (ozone dose of 0.49 g O₃/g DOC). Of 38 pharmaceuticals detected in the effluent, 16 were removed to levels below the limit of quantification by ozonation. Levels of two oxylipins, 12(13)-EpODE and 15(16)-EpODE, were reduced in larvae exposed to the conventionally treated wastewater in comparison to the tap water control. 15(16)-EpODE was reduced in the larvae exposed to ozonated effluent in comparison to the tap water control. One oxylipin, 8-HETE, was significantly lower in larvae exposed to conventional WWTP effluent compared to ozonated effluent. In conclusion, the study provides proof-of-principle that damselfly larvae can be used on-site to test the impact of differentially treated wastewater.

Acute warming increases pesticide toxicity more than transgenerational warming by reducing the energy budget

There is increasing awareness that the toxicity of pesticides can to a large extent be modulated by warming, and that temporal exposure scenarios may strongly affect the impact of two stressors. Nevertheless, we lack information on how the exposure duration to warming may shape pesticide toxicity under warming. Furthermore, despite that bioenergetic responses have the potential to generate mechanistic insights in how toxicants interact with warming, this has been understudied in ecotoxicology. To investigate whether warming duration modifies pesticide toxicity, mosquito larvae were exposed to a control temperature at 20 °C or three warming treatments at 24 °C (acute, developmental and transgenerational warming), and to four pesticide treatments (solvent control, and three chlorpyrifos concentrations) in a full factorial design. Chlorpyrifos increased mortality, growth rate and the energy consumed, and reduced the AChE (acetylcholinesterase) activity, the energy available, and the net energy budget (estimated as cellular energy allocation). The warming treatments did not affect mortality, AChE activity, and the energy consumed. However, acute warming increased the growth rate and decreased the energy available, while both acute and developmental warming decreased the cellular energy allocation. A first key finding was that the lethal and sublethal effects of chlorpyrifos were less strong under warming because of a higher degradation in the medium under warming. A second key finding was that, among the warming treatments, the pesticide toxicity was more increased under acute warming than under transgenerational warming. This could be explained by the negative impact of acute warming but not transgenerational warming on the net energy budget. The results in this study provide mechanistic insights that the exposure duration to warming can play an important role in modulating the impact of pesticides under warming. Therefore, including ecologically relevant temporal scenarios of exposure to warming is important in ecotoxicological studies.

Multigenerational effects modify the tolerance of mosquito larvae to chlorpyrifos but not to a heat spike and do not change their synergism

While interactions with global warming and multigenerational effects are considered crucial to improve risk assessment of pesticides, these have rarely been studied in an integrated way. While heat extremes can magnify pesticide toxicity, no studies tested how their combined effects may transmit to the next generation. We exposed mosquito larvae in a full factorial, two-generation experiment to a heat spike followed by chlorpyrifos exposure. As expected, the heat spike magnified the chlorpyrifos-induced lethal and sublethal effects within both generations. Only when preceded by the heat spike, chlorpyrifos increased mortality and reduced the population growth rate. Moreover, chlorpyrifos-induced reductions in heat tolerance (CTmax), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and development time were further magnified by the heat spike. Notably, when parents were exposed to chlorpyrifos, the chlorpyrifos-induced lethal and sublethal effects in the offspring were smaller, indicating increased tolerance to chlorpyrifos. In contrast, there was no such multigenerational effect for the heat spike. Despite the adaptive multigenerational effect to the pesticide, the synergism with the heat spike was still present in the offspring generation. Generally, our results provide important evidence that short exposure to pulse-like global change stressors can strongly affect organisms within and across generations, and highlight the importance of considering multigenerational effects in risk assessment.

Time-cumulative effects of neonicotinoid exposure, heatwaves and food limitation on stream mayfly nymphs: A multiple-stressor experiment

The global intensification of agriculture has resulted in pesticides playing an increasingly important role as anthropogenic stressors and drivers of environmental change. There is also a growing need to determine if other environmental stressors, especially those predicted to worsen with climate change, interact with pesticides to alter their effects on non-target biota. Two such stressors are increased extreme temperature events and periods of food limitation. This study is the first to investigate the combined effects of the world's most widely used insecticide, imidacloprid, with heatwaves and food limitation on a freshwater animal. A 6-week, full-factorial laboratory experiment with Deleatidium spp. mayfly nymphs was performed to investigate the potential for direct and delayed interactive effects of simulated heatwaves and starvation with chronic exposure to a field-realistic concentration of imidacloprid (0.4 μg/L). The experiment included two 6-day simulated heatwaves, one during a starvation period prior to imidacloprid addition, and one during the first 6 days of imidacloprid exposure. The simulated heatwaves alone caused such drastic negative effects on Deleatidium survival and mobility that mainly antagonistic interactions were observed with the other stressors, though delayed synergisms between imidacloprid and the second heatwave also affected mayfly mobility. Time-cumulative toxicity of imidacloprid was evident, with imidacloprid first affecting mayfly mobility after 12 days but eventually causing the strongest effects of all manipulated stressors. However, lethal effects of imidacloprid could only be detected in the absence of heatwaves and starvation, possibly as a result of selection for stronger individuals due to prior exposure to these stressors. Our findings demonstrate that heatwaves of increasing severity will critically affect sensitive freshwater organisms such as mayflies, and that the impacts of widespread pesticide use on freshwater ecosystems under global climate change cannot be ignored.

Oxylipins at intermediate larval stages of damselfly Coenagrion hastulatum as biochemical biomarkers for anthropogenic pollution

Aquatic pollution resulting from anthropogenic activities requires adequate environmental monitoring strategies in sentinel organisms. Thus, biochemical biomarkers have been used as early-warning tools of biological effects in aquatic organisms. However, before using these markers for environmental monitoring, knowledge about their developmental variation is vital. In this study, we assessed baseline levels and developmental variations of a group of potential biomarkers, oxylipins, during the lifespan of the Northern damselfly (Coenagrion hastulatum) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Effects of wastewater exposure on baseline levels were studied in a subset of damselflies to investigate the responsiveness due to anthropogenic pollution. Thirty-eight oxylipins deriving from four polyunsaturated fatty acids via two enzymatic pathways were detected in damselflies at three larval stages and in the adult form. Overall, oxylipin baseline levels showed developmental variation, which was lowest in the intermediate larval stages. Effects of exposure to wastewater effluent on oxylipin baseline levels were dependent on the life stage and were greatest in the early and intermediate larval stages. The study provides first insights into oxylipin profiles of damselflies at different stages of development and their developmental variation. Based on our results, we propose further strategies for incorporating oxylipins in damselfly larvae as biochemical markers for anthropogenic pollution.

Reduced stress defence responses contribute to the higher toxicity of a pesticide under warming

There is a pressing need to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying the, often magnifying, interactive effects between contaminants and natural stressors. Here we test our hypothesis that lower general stress defence responses contribute to synergistic interactions between stressors. We focus on the widespread pattern that many contaminants are more toxic at higher temperatures. Specifically, we tested the effects of an environmentally realistic low-effect and high-effect concentration of the pesticide chlorpyrifos under warming at the gene expression level in the northern house mosquito Culex pipiens molestus (Forskal, 1775). By applying the independent action model for combined stressors on RNA-sequencing data, we identified interactive gene expression patterns under combined exposure to chlorpyrifos and warming for general stress defence responses: protection of macromolecules, antioxidant processes, detoxification and energy metabolism/allocation. Most of these general stress defence response genes showed upregulated antagonistic interactions (i.e., were less upregulated than expected under the independent action model). This indicates that when pesticide exposure was combined with warming, the general stress defence responses were no longer buffering increased stress levels, which may contribute to a higher sensitivity to toxicants under warming. These upregulated antagonistic interactions were stronger for the high-effect chlorpyrifos concentration, indicating that exposure to this concentration under warming was most stressful. Our results highlight that quantitative analysis of the frequency and strength of the interaction types of general stress defence response genes, specifically focusing on antagonistic upregulations and synergistic downregulations, may advance our understanding of how natural stressors modify the toxicity of contaminants.

Mosquito larvae that survive a heat spike are less sensitive to subsequent exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos

While extreme high temperatures are an important aspect of global warming, their effects on organisms are relatively understudied, especially in ecotoxicology. Sequential exposure to heat spikes and pesticides is a realistic scenario as both are typically transient stressors and are expected to further increase in frequency under global warming. We tested the effects of exposure to a lethal heat spike and subsequently to an ecologically relevant lethal pulse exposure of the pesticide chlorpyrifos in the larvae of mosquito Culex pipiens. The heat spike caused direct and delayed mortality, and resulted in a higher heat tolerance and activity of acetylcholinesterase, and a lower fat content in the survivors. The chlorpyrifos exposure caused mortality, accelerated growth rate, and decreased the heat tolerance and the activity of acetylcholinesterase. The preceding heat spike did not change how chlorpyrifos reduced the heat tolerance. Notably, the preceding heat spike did lower the lethal effect of the pesticide, which makes an important novel finding at the interface of ecotoxicology and global change biology, and adds a new dimension to the "climate-induced toxicant sensitivity" (CITS) concept. This may be due to both survival selection and cross-tolerance, and therefore likely a widespread phenomenon. Our results emphasize the importance of including extreme high temperatures as an important transient global change stressor in ecotoxicology.

The effect of warming on pesticide toxicity is reversed between developmental stages in the mosquito Culex pipiens

A better understanding of interactions between pesticides and warming is important to improve ecological risk assessment in a warming world. Current insights are almost exclusively based on studies that exposed animals simultaneously to both warming and a pesticide and focused on effects during the pesticide exposure period and within a single developmental stage. We studied two ignored aspects of the interplay between warming and pesticide exposure: (i) the role of delayed effects after the pesticide exposure period, and (ii) the dependence on the developmental stage. We carried out a longitudinal experiment from the egg stage to the adult stage in the mosquito Culex pipiens where we crossed a warming treatment (20 °C vs 24 °C) with 48 h exposures to the pesticide chlorpyrifos in three developmental stages (early L1 larvae, late L4 larvae and adults). Chlorpyrifos induced mild to moderate mortality in all developmental stages (10-30%). A key finding was that warming shaped the chlorpyrifos-induced mortality but in opposite directions between stages. Chlorpyrifos was 7% less toxic under warming in L1 larvae, yet more toxic under warming in L4 larvae (22%) and in adult males (33%), while toxicity did not change under warming in adult females. We hypothesize that the general, stage-specific differences in the effects of warming on body size (increased size in early larvae, decreased size in later stages) caused the reversal of the effects of warming on toxicity between stages. Previous larval exposure to chlorpyrifos caused delayed effects that strongly reduced survival to the adult stage (̰25% at 24 °C). Notably, warming also modulated these delayed mortality effects in opposite ways between developmental stages, matching the patterns of mortality during the pesticide exposure periods. Integrating the general stage-specific patterns of how warming shapes body size is important to advance our mechanistic understanding of the interactions between pesticides and warming.

Food Shortage Amplifies Negative Sublethal Impacts of Low-Level Exposure to the Neonicotinoid Insecticide Imidacloprid on Stream Mayfly Nymphs

Interactions of pesticides with biotic or anthropogenic stressors affecting stream invertebrates are still poorly understood. In a three-factor laboratory experiment, we investigated effects of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, food availability, and population density on the New Zealand mayfly Deleatidium spp. (Leptophlebiidae). Larval mayflies (10 or 20 individuals) were exposed to environmentally realistic concentrations of imidacloprid (controls, 0.97 and 2.67 μg L−1) for nine days following five days during which individuals were either starved or fed with stream algae. Imidacloprid exposure had severe lethal and sublethal effects on Deleatidium, with effects of the lower concentration occurring later in the experiment. The starvation period had delayed interactive effects, with prior starvation amplifying imidacloprid-induced increases in mayfly impairment (inability to swim or right themselves) and immobility (no signs of movement besides twitching appendages). Few studies have investigated interactions with other stressors that may worsen neonicotinoid impacts on non-target freshwater organisms, and experiments manipulating food availability or density-dependent processes are especially rare. Therefore, we encourage longer-term multiple-stressor experiments that build on our study, including mesocosm experiments involving realistic stream food webs.

The genome of the marine monogonont rotifer Brachionus plicatilis: Genome-wide expression profiles of 28 cytochrome P450 genes in response to chlorpyrifos and 2-ethyl-phenanthrene

Brachionus spp. (Rotifera: Monogononta) are globally distributed in aquatic environments and play important roles in the aquatic ecosystem. The marine monogonont rotifer Brachionus plicatilis is considered a suitable model organism for ecology, evolution, and ecotoxicology. In this study, we assembled and characterized the B. plicatilis genome. The total length of the assembled genome was 106.9 Mb and the number of final scaffolds was 716 with an N50 value of 1.15 Mb and a GC content of 26.75%. A total of 20,154 genes were annotated after manual curation. To demonstrate the use of whole genome data, we targeted one of the main detoxifying enzyme of phase I detoxification system and identified in a total of 28 cytochrome P450 s (CYPs). Based on the phylogenetic analysis using the maximum likelihood, 28 B. plicatilis-CYPs were apparently separated into five different clans, namely, 2, 3, 4, mitochondrial (MT), and 46 clans. To better understand the CYPs-mediated xenobiotic detoxification, we measured the mRNA expression levels of 28 B. plicatilis CYPs in response to chlorpyrifos and 2-ethyl-phenanthrene. Most B. plicatilis CYPs were significantly modulated (P < 0.05) in response to chlorpyrifos and 2-ethyl-phenanthrene. In addition, xenobiotic-sensing nuclear receptor (XNR) response element sequences were identified in the 5 kb upstream of promoter regions of 28 CYPs from the genome of B. plicatilis, indicating that these XNR can be associated with detoxification of xenobiotics. Overall, the assembled B. plicatilis genome presented here will be a useful resource for a better understanding the molecular ecotoxicology in the view of molecular mechanisms underlying toxicological responses, particularly on xenobiotic detoxification in this species.

Whether warming magnifies the toxicity of a pesticide is strongly dependent on the concentration and the null model

How global warming changes the toxicity of contaminants is a research priority at the intersection of global change biology and ecotoxicology. While many pesticides are more toxic at higher temperatures this is not always detected. We studied whether deviations from this general pattern can be explained by concentration-dependent interaction effects and by testing the interaction against the inappropriate null model. We exposed larvae of the mosquito Culex pipiens to three concentrations of the pesticide chlorpyrifos (absence, low and high) in the absence and presence of 4 °C warming. Both the low and high chlorpyrifos concentration were lethal and generated negative sublethal effects: activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and total fat content decreased, and oxidative damage to lipids increased, yet growth rate increased. Warming was slightly lethal, yet had positive sublethal effects: growth rate, total fat content and metabolic rate increased, and oxidative damage decreased. For four out of seven response variables the independent action model identified the expected synergistic interaction between chlorpyrifos and warming. Notably, for three variables (survival, AChE and fat content) this was strongly dependent on the chlorpyrifos concentration, and for two of these (AChE and fat content) not associated with a significant interaction in the general(ized) linear models. For survival and fat content, warming only potentiated chlorpyrifos (CPF) toxicity at the low CPF concentration, while the opposite was true for AChE. Our results highlight that taking into account concentration-dependence and appropriate null model testing is crucial to improve our understanding of the toxicity of contaminants in a warming world.

Daily temperature variation magnifies the toxicity of a mixture consisting of a chemical pesticide and a biopesticide in a vector mosquito

While many studies on the toxicity of pesticides looked at the effects of a higher mean temperature, effects of the realistic scenario of daily temperature variation are understudied. Moreover, despite the increasing interest for the toxicity of pesticide mixtures how this is influenced by temperature has been largely ignored. We tested whether daily temperature variation (DTV) magnifies the toxicity of two pesticides with a different mode of action, the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and the biopesticide Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti), and of their mixture in the vector mosquito Culex pipiens. Single exposure to CPF and Bti increased mortality and reduced female development time, and exposure to CPF also increased female wing length. DTV was not lethal and did not change the toxicity of the individual pesticides. Yet, a key novel finding was that high DTV increased the mortality of the mixture by changing the interaction between both pesticides from additive to synergistic. Given that in nature daily temperature variation is omnipresent, this is important both for vector control and for ecological risk assessment. The higher toxicity of the mixture at high DTV compared to the typically used constant test temperatures in the laboratory urges caution when evaluating the environmental impact of pesticide mixtures.

An adaptive transgenerational effect of warming but not of pesticide exposure determines how a pesticide and warming interact for antipredator behaviour

The impact of pesticides on organisms may strongly depend on temperature. While many species will be exposed to pesticides and warming both in the parental and offspring generations, transgenerational effects of pesticides under warming are still poorly studied, particularly for behaviour. We therefore studied the single and combined effects of exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) and warming both within and across generations on antipredator behaviour of larvae of the vector mosquito Culex pipiens. Within each generation pesticide exposure and warming reduced the escape diving time, making the larvae more susceptible to predation. Pesticide exposure of the parents did not affect offspring antipredator behaviour. Yet, parental exposure to warming determined how warming and the pesticide interacted in the offspring generation. When parents were reared at 24 °C, warming no longer reduced offspring diving times in the solvent control, suggesting an adaptive transgenerational effect to prepare the offspring to better deal with a higher predation risk under warming. Related to this, the CPF-induced reduction in diving time was stronger at 20 °C than at 24 °C, except in the offspring whose parents had been exposed to 24 °C. This dependency of the widespread interaction between warming and pesticide exposure on an adaptive transgenerational effect of warming is an important finding at the interface of global change ecology and ecotoxicology.

Acute sensitivity of the killifish Nothobranchius furzeri to a combination of temperature and reference toxicants (cadmium, chlorpyrifos and 3,4-dichloroaniline)

Aquatic organisms of inland waters are often subjected to a combination of stressors. Yet, few experiments assess mixed stress effects beyond a select group of standard model organisms. We studied the joint toxicity of reference toxicants and increased temperature on the turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, a promising model for ecotoxicological research due to the species' short life cycle and the production of drought-resistant eggs. The acute sensitivity of the larval stage (2dph) to three compounds (cadmium, 3,4-dichloroaniline and chlorpyrifos) was tested in combination with a temperature increase of 4 °C, mimicking global warming. Dose-response relationships were used to calculate 96h-LC₅₀ of 0.28 mg/L (24 °C) and 0.39 mg/L (28 °C) for cadmium, 96h-LC₅₀ of 9.75 mg/L (24 °C) and 6.61 mg/L (28 °C) for 3,4-dichloroaniline and 96h-LC₅₀ of 15.4 μg/L (24 °C) and 14.2 μg/L (28 °C) for chlorpyrifos. After 24 h of exposure, the toxicity of all tested compounds was exacerbated under increased temperature. Furthermore, the interaction effect of cadmium and temperature could be predicted by the stress addition model (SAM). This suggests the applicability of the model for fish and at the same time indicates that the model could be suitable to predict effects of temperature-toxicant interactions.

Carry-Over Effects Across Metamorphosis of a Pesticide on Female Lifetime Fitness Strongly Depend on Egg Hatching Phenology: A Longitudinal Study under Seminatural Conditions

Current ecological risk assessment of pesticides fails to protect aquatic biodiversity. For the first time, we tested two potential reasons for this failure with regard to carry-over effects across metamorphosis: their dependence on hatching period, and the lack of studies quantifying adult fitness under seminatural conditions. Using the damselfly Coenagrion puella sampled from six populations, we designed an outdoor longitudinal one-year study starting from the egg stage. We exposed the aquatic larvae to the pesticide esfenvalerate (0.11 μg/L) during the initial microcosm part. Next, we monitored the lifetime fitness of the terrestrial adults in an insectary. Exposure to the pesticide negatively impacted not only larval traits, but also drastically reduced lifetime mating success of adult females. The impact of this postmetamorphic effect of the pesticide on the population level was three times more important than the effects in the larval stage. Importantly, this carry-over effect was only present in females that hatched early in the season, and was not mediated by metamorphic traits (age and mass at emergence). We provide proof-of-principle under seminatural conditions for two potential pitfalls that need to be considered when improving risk assessment: carry-over effects on adult fitness can (i) be much more important than effects during the larval stage and may not be captured by metamorphic traits, and (ii) be strongly modulated by egg hatching dates.

Acute and chronic sensitivity to copper of a promising ecotoxicological model species, the annual killifish Nothobranchius furzeri

Nothobranchius furzeri is a promising model for ecotoxicological research due to the species' short life cycle and the production of drought-resistant eggs. Although the species is an emerging vertebrate fish model for several fundamental as well as applied research domains, its potential for ecotoxicological research has not yet been tested. The aim of this study was to characterise the acute and chronic sensitivity of this species to copper as compared to other model organisms. Effects of both acute and chronic copper exposure were tested on survival, life history and physiological traits. We report a 24h-LC₅₀ of 53.93µg Cu/L, which is situated within the sensitivity range of other model species such as Brook Trout, Fathead Minnow and Rainbow Trout. Moreover, in the full life cycle exposure, we show that an exposure concentration of 10.27µg/L did not cause acute adverse effects (96h), but did cause mortality after prolonged exposure (3-4 weeks). Also chronic, sublethal effects were observed, such as a reduction in growth rate, delayed maturation and postponed reproduction. Based on our results, we define the NOEC at 6.68µg Cu/L, making N. furzeri more sensitive to copper as compared to Brook Trout and Fathead Minnow. We found stimulatory effects on peak fecundity at subinhibitory levels of copper concentrations (hormesis). Finally, we found indications for detoxifying and copper-excreting mechanisms, demonstrating the ability of the fish to cope with this essential metal, even when exposed to stressful amounts. The successful application of current ecotoxicological protocols on N. furzeri and its sensitivity range comparable to that of other model organisms forms the basis to exploit this species in further ecotoxicological practices.

Effects of environmental warming during early life history on libellulid odonates

Climate warming affects ectotherms globally, yet we know little regarding the variability in species’ responses to warming, particularly in early life stages. Additionally, intraspecific variation in response to warming is understudied but may determine species’ resilience to warming. To assess how temperature affects egg development rate in co-occurring dragonfly species, we manipulated temperature (range: 22–31 °C) and measured time to hatching. Warming decreased egg development time across all species, indicating that while climate warming will advance hatching phenology, maintained synchrony in hatching order will likely not affect species interactions. Our second experiment examined early life-history responses to warming in the dot-tailed whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta (Hagen, 1861)) dragonfly. We measured time to hatching, hatchling size, growth rate, and survival at four temperatures (23–30 °C), including a treatment with increased thermal variation. Warming resulted in smaller hatchlings with increased growth and mortality rates, whereas higher thermal variation did not have effects different from those of warming alone. We observed significant intraspecific variation in the responses to warming in both egg development time and hatchling size and this variation was correlated with date of oviposition. High levels of intraspecific variation may be important in buffering populations from the effects of climate warming.

Delayed effects of chlorpyrifos across metamorphosis on dispersal-related traits in a poleward moving damselfly

How exposure to contaminants may interfere with the widespread poleward range expansions under global warming is largely unknown. Pesticide exposure may negatively affect traits shaping the speed of range expansion, including traits related to population growth rate and dispersal-related traits. Moreover, rapid evolution of growth rates during poleward range expansions may come at a cost of a reduced investment in detoxification and repair thereby increasing the vulnerability to contaminants at expanding range fronts. We tested effects of a sublethal concentration of the widespread pesticide chlorpyrifos on traits related to range expansion in replicated edge and core populations of the poleward moving damselfly Coenagrion scitulum reared at low and high food levels in a common garden experiment. Food limitation in the larval stage had strong negative effects both in the larval stage and across metamorphosis in the adult stage. Exposure to chlorpyrifos during the larval stage did not affect larval traits but caused delayed effects across metamorphosis by increasing the incidence of wing malformations during metamorphosis and by reducing a key component of the adult immune response. There was some support for an evolutionary trade-off scenario as the faster growing edge larvae suffered a higher mortality during metamorphosis. Instead, there was no clear support for the faster growing edge larvae being more vulnerable to chlorpyrifos. Our data indicate that sublethal delayed effects of pesticide exposure, partly in association with the rapid evolution of faster growth rates, may slow down range expansions.

Exposure to a heat wave under food limitation makes an agricultural insecticide lethal: a mechanistic laboratory experiment

Extreme temperatures and exposure to agricultural pesticides are becoming more frequent and intense under global change. Their combination may be especially problematic when animals suffer food limitation. We exposed Coenagrion puella damselfly larvae to a simulated heat wave combined with food limitation and subsequently to a widespread agricultural pesticide (chlorpyrifos) in an indoor laboratory experiment designed to obtain mechanistic insights in the direct effects of these stressors in isolation and when combined. The heat wave reduced immune function (activity of phenoloxidase, PO) and metabolic rate (activity of the electron transport system, ETS). Starvation had both immediate and delayed negative sublethal effects on growth rate and physiology (reductions in Hsp70 levels, total fat content, and activity levels of PO and ETS). Exposure to chlorpyrifos negatively affected all response variables. While the immediate effects of the heat wave were subtle, our results indicate the importance of delayed effects in shaping the total fitness impact of a heat wave when followed by pesticide exposure. Firstly, the combination of delayed negative effects of the heat wave and starvation, and the immediate negative effect of chlorpyrifos considerably (71%) reduced larval growth rate. Secondly and more strikingly, chlorpyrifos only caused considerable (ca. 48%) mortality in larvae that were previously exposed to the combination of the heat wave and starvation. This strong delayed synergism for mortality could be explained by the cumulative metabolic depression caused by each of these stressors. Further studies with increased realism are needed to evaluate the consequences of the here-identified delayed synergisms at the level of populations and communities. This is especially important as this synergism provides a novel explanation for the poorly understood potential of heat waves and of sublethal pesticide concentrations to cause mass mortality.

Synthetic predator cues impair immune function and make the biological pesticide Bti more lethal for vector mosquitoes

The control of vector mosquitoes is one of the biggest challenges facing humankind with the use of chemical pesticides often leading to environmental impact and the evolution of resistance. Although to a lesser extent, this also holds for Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), the most widely used biological pesticide to control mosquito populations. This raises the need for the development of integrated pest management strategies that allow the reduction of Bti concentrations without loss of the mosquito control efficiency. To this end, we tested in a laboratory experiment the combined effects of larval exposure to a sublethal Bti concentration and predation risk cues on life history and physiology of larval and adult Culex pipiens mosquitoes. Besides natural predator kairomones and prey alarm cues, we also tested synthetic kairomones of Notonecta predators. Neither Bti nor predation risk cues affected mortality, yet when both stressors were combined mortality increased on average by 133% compared to the treatment with only predation risk cues. This synergistic interaction was also present when Bti was combined with synthetic kairomones. This was further reflected in changes of the composite index of population performance, which suggested lowered per capita growth rates in mosquitoes exposed to Bti but only when Bti was combined with synthetic kairomones. Furthermore, predation risk cues shortened larval development time, reduced mass at metamorphosis in males, and had an immunosuppressive effect in larval and adult mosquitoes which may affect the mosquito vector competence. We provide the first demonstration that synthetic kairomones may generate similar effects on prey as natural kairomones. The identified immunosuppressive effect of synthetic kairomones and the novel lethal synergism type between a biological pesticide and synthetic predator kairomones provide an important proof of principle illustrating the potential of this combination for integrated mosquito control and should in a next step be evaluated under more natural conditions. It may guide novel integrated pest management programs with Bti that incorporate synthetic kairomones and thereby can reduce environmental impact and evolution of resistance creating more efficient and sustainable mosquito control.

Differential larval responses of two ecologically similar insects (Odonata) to temperature and resource variation

How species respond to shifting environmental conditions is a central question in ecology, especially because ecosystems are experiencing rapidly changing climatic conditions. However, predicting the responses of species interactions and community composition to changing conditions is often difficult. We examined the effects of rearing temperature and resource level on larval survival of two ecologically similar dragonflies, Erythemis collocata and Pachydiplax longipennis. Within high and low (26 and 21°C) temperatures, we crossed species and resource level and reared larvae individually. We predicted that warmer temperatures would reduce survival and increase growth rate, that higher resource availability would increase survival and growth rate, and that the two species would respond similarly. We found that increased temperature reduced survival for both species. There was also an interaction between temperature and species: E. collocata had higher survival at the lower temperature, but lower survival at the higher temperature when compared to P. longipennis. Resource level did not affect survival. In general, P. longipennis grew more than E. collocata, with no effects of temperature or resource level. These results suggest that these species respond dissimilarly to changing thermal conditions, that increased food availability cannot always compensate for the negative effects of higher temperatures, and that climate change may affect interactions between these two sympatric, ecologically similar species, with potential consequences for community composition.

Combination effects of pyrethroids and neonicotinoids on development and survival of Chironomus riparius

Standard ecotoxicological risk assessments are conducted on individual substances, however monitoring of streams in agricultural areas has shown that pesticides are rarely present alone. In fact, brief but intense pulse events such as storm water runoff and spray drift during application subject freshwater environments to complex mixtures of pesticides at high concentrations. This study investigates the potential risks to non-target aquatic organisms exposed to a brief but intense mixture of the neonicotinoid pesticides imidacloprid and thiacloprid and the pyrethroid pesticides deltamethrin and esfenvalerate, compared to single substance exposure. All four of these pesticides have been detected in surface waters at concentrations higher than benchmark values and both classes of pesticides are known to exert adverse effects on non-target aquatic organisms under single substance exposure scenarios. First instar midge larvae of the non-target aquatic organism, Chironomus riparius, were exposed to combinations of these four pesticides at 50% of their LC50 (96 h) values in a 1h pulse. They were then reared to adulthood in uncontaminated conditions and assessed for survival, development time and fecundity. Our results show that the risk of disruption to survival and development of non-target aquatic organisms under this scenario is not negligible on account of the significant increases in mortality of C. riparius found in the majority of the pesticide exposures and the delays in development after pyrethroid exposure. While none of the deleterious effects appear to be amplified by combination of the pesticides, there is some evidence for antagonism. No effects on fecundity by any of the pesticide treatments were observed.

Urbanisation shapes behavioural responses to a pesticide

The degree of urbanisation is rapidly increasing worldwide. Due to anthropogenic impact, urban populations are exposed to higher levels of contaminants and higher temperatures. Despite this, urbanisation is a largely overlooked spatial component in ecotoxicology. We tested in a common garden rearing experiment whether replicated urban and rural populations of the damselfly Coenagrion puella differ in their vulnerability to sublethal levels of a widespread pesticide, chlorpyrifos, in terms of ecologically relevant behaviours (exploration behaviour, activity, boldness and food intake), and to what extent these patterns are affected by temperature (20 and 24°C). Except boldness, all behaviours were affected by previous pesticide exposure. While the pesticide did not affect exploration behaviour at 20°C, it was associated with increased exploration at 24°C, which may reflect an increased toxicity of chlorpyrifos at higher temperatures. Importantly, rural and urban larvae showed consistently different, sometimes even opposite behavioural responses to pesticide exposure. When exposed to the pesticide, rural larvae decreased activity and food intake at both temperatures; urban larvae instead increased activity at both temperatures and only reduced food intake at the high temperature. This suggests that urban larvae were less affected by the pesticide, which would be consistent with a scenario of local adaptation to higher contaminant levels. Our results highlight that urbanisation may be an important factor to arrive at a spatially explicit ecological risk assessment, and may be an ignored reason why studies on the same species may generate widely different vulnerabilities to pesticides.

Effects of experimental warming on survival, phenology and morphology of an aquatic insect (Odonata)

1. Organisms can respond to changing climatic conditions in multiple ways including changes in phenology, body size or morphology, and range shifts. Understanding how developmental temperatures affect insect life-history timing and morphology is crucial because body size and morphology affect multiple aspects of life history, including dispersal ability, while phenology can shape population performance and community interactions. 2. We experimentally assessed how developmental temperatures experienced by aquatic larvae affected survival, phenology, and adult morphology of dragonflies (Pachydiplax longipennis). Larvae were reared under 3 environmental temperatures: ambient, +2.5 °C, and +5 °C, corresponding to temperature projections for our study area 50 and 100 years in the future, respectively. Experimental temperature treatments tracked naturally-occurring variation. 3. We found clear effects of temperature in the rearing environment on survival and phenology: dragonflies reared at the highest temperatures had the lowest survival rates, and emerged from the larval stage approximately 3 weeks earlier than animals reared at ambient temperatures. There was no effect of rearing temperature on overall body size. Although neither the relative wing nor thorax size was affected by warming, a non-significant trend towards an interaction between sex and warming in relative thorax size suggests that males may be more sensitive to warming than females, a pattern that should be investigated further. 4. Warming strongly affected survival in the larval stage and the phenology of adult emergence. Understanding how warming in the developmental environment affects later life-history stages is critical to interpreting the consequences of warming for organismal performance.

Can damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) be used as bioindicators of sublethal effects of environmental contamination?

The present study measured various pesticides and trace metals, together with sublethal effect biomarkers (lipid, protein and glycogen levels, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities) in damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) at sixteen sampling sites in Flanders (Belgium). Four pesticides (chloridazon, dichlorvos, terbutylazine, metolachlor), some of them hardly measurable in surface water, and all trace metals were above the limit of quantification in damselfly tissue. A principal component analysis (PCA) on the accumulated pollutant concentrations returned five pollutant axes explaining 85.8% of the total variation. Based on these PCA-axes a hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the 16 sampled ponds could be classified in 7 groups. Increasing dichlorvos levels in the animals resulted in a lower body mass. Body mass was negatively correlated with GST and AChE activities, lipid and glycogen levels. The present findings provide evidence of toxicity-induced sublethal stress of dichlorvos accumulation in natural populations of I. elegans.

Warming increases chlorpyrifos effects on predator but not anti-predator behaviours

Recent insights indicate that negative effects of pesticides on aquatic biota occur at concentrations that current legislation considers environmentally protective. We here address two, potentially interacting, mechanisms that may contribute to the underestimation of the impact of sublethal pesticide effects in single species tests at room temperature: the impairment of predator and antipredator behaviours and the stronger impact of organophosphate pesticides at higher temperatures. To address these issues we assessed the effects of chlorpyrifos on the predator and antipredator behaviours of larvae of the damselfly Ischnura elegans, important intermediate predators in aquatic food webs, in a common-garden warming experiment with replicated low- and high-latitude populations along the latitudinal gradient of this species in Europe. Chlorpyrifos reduced the levels of predator behavioural endpoints, and this reduction was stronger at the higher temperature for head orientations and feeding strikes. Chlorpyrifos also impaired two key antipredator behavioural endpoints, activity reductions in response to predator cues were smaller in the presence of chlorpyrifos, and chlorpyrifos caused a lower escape swimming speed; these effects were independent of temperature. This suggests chlorpyrifos may impact food web interactions by changing predator-prey interactions both with higher (predators) and lower trophic levels (food). Given that only the interaction with the lower trophic level was more impaired at higher temperatures, the overall pesticide-induced changes in food web dynamics may be strongly temperature-dependent. These findings were consistent in damselflies from low- and high-latitude populations, illustrating that thermal adaptation will not mitigate the increased toxicity of pesticides at higher temperatures. Our study not only underscores the relevance of including temperature and prey-predator interactions in ecological risk assessment but also their potential interplay and thereby highlights the complexity of contaminant effects on predator-prey interactions being differentially temperature-dependent pending on the trophic level.

Persistence and dissipation of chlorpyrifos in Brassica chinensis, lettuce, celery, asparagus lettuce, eggplant, and pepper in a greenhouse

The residue behavior of chlorpyrifos, which is one of the extensively used insecticides all around the world, in six vegetable crops was assessed under greenhouse conditions. Each of the vegetables was subjected to a foliar treatment with chlorpyrifos. Two analytical methods were developed using gas chromatography equipped with a micro-ECD detector (LOQ = 0.05 mg kg(-1)) and liquid chromatography with a tandem mass spectrometry (LOQ = 0.01 mg kg(-1)). The initial foliar deposited concentration of chlorpyrifos (mg kg(-1)) on the six vegetables followed the increasing order of brassica chinensis Collapse

Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings

• Apium/metabolism
• Brassica/metabolism
• Chlorpyrifos/chemistry
• Chlorpyrifos/metabolism
• Crops, Agricultural/metabolism
• Environment, Controlled
• Food Safety
• Lactuca/metabolism
• Pesticide Residues/chemistry
• Pesticide Residues/metabolism
• Piper/chemistry
• Piper/metabolism
• Soil/chemistry
• Solanum melongena/metabolism

Collapse

Grants Collapse

Affiliation(s)

Meng-Xiao Lu Pesticide Biology and Ecology Research Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Key Laboratory of Food Safety Monitoring and Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Wayne W. Jiang Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
Jia-Lei Wang Pesticide Biology and Ecology Research Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Qiu Jian Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
Yan Shen Key Laboratory of Food Safety Monitoring and Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Xian-Jin Liu Pesticide Biology and Ecology Research Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Key Laboratory of Food Safety Monitoring and Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Xiang-Yang Yu Pesticide Biology and Ecology Research Center, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Key Laboratory of Food Safety Monitoring and Management of Ministry of Agriculture, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Collapse

Extreme temperatures in the adult stage shape delayed effects of larval pesticide stress: a comparison between latitudes

Global warming and pesticide pollution are major threats for aquatic biodiversity. Yet, how pesticide effects are influenced by the increased frequency of extreme temperatures under global warming and how local thermal adaptation may mitigate these effects is unknown. We therefore investigated the combined impact of larval chlorpyrifos exposure, larval food stress and adult heat exposure on a set of fitness-related traits in replicated low- and high-latitude populations of the damselfly Ischnura elegans. Larval pesticide exposure resulted in lighter adults with a higher water content, lower fat content, higher Hsp70 levels and a lower immune function (PO activity). Heat exposure reduced water content, mass, fat content and flying ability. Importantly, both stressors interacted across metamorphosis: adult heat exposure lowered the reduction of fat content, and generated a stronger decrease in PO activity in pesticide-exposed animals. Larval pesticide exposure and larval food stress also reduced the defense response to the adult heat stress in terms of increased Hsp70 levels. In line with strong life history differences in the unstressed control situation, high-latitude animals were less sensitive to food stress (body mass and water content), but more sensitive to pesticide stress (development time and PO activity) and heat exposure (PO activity and Hsp70 levels). While low-latitude adults could better withstand the extreme temperature as suggested by the weaker increase in Hsp70, heat exposure similarly affected the delayed effects of larval pesticide exposure at both latitudes. Our study highlighted two key findings relevant for ecological risk assessment under global warming. Firstly, the delayed effects of larval pesticide exposure on adult damselflies depended upon subsequent adult heat exposure, indicating that larval pesticide stress and adult heat stress interacted across metamorphosis. Secondly, low- and high-latitude animals responded differently to the imposed stressors, highlighting that intraspecific evolution along natural thermal gradients may shape sensitivity to pesticides.