Effects of a Systemic Pesticide Along an Aquatic Tri-Trophic Food Chain

Abstract

Systemic pesticides, such as the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, can be introduced into aquatic ecosystems through contaminated plant material, which is the basis for detrital (brown) aquatic food-webs. With the aim of exemplarily assessing for indirect effects on the level of predators, we first offered imidacloprid contaminated and uncontaminated alder leaves to the stonefly shredder Protonemura sp. for 72 h. Shredder survival, leaf decomposition, body length and biomass were all between 20% and 50% lower under imidacloprid exposure compared to uncontaminated conditions, indicating physiological implications. Subsequently, these shredders were provided as prey to stonefly predators (Isoperla sp.) kept in cages in a stream. Predator biomass and length decreased by up to 11% and 4.3%, respectively, when feeding on imidacloprid exposed prey. Our study hence suggests that plant material contaminated with systemic pesticides can exert adverse effects in aquatic predators when preying on shredders consuming such leaves, which warrants a further consideration of this pathway.

Keywords

Shredders; Neonicotinoids; Trophic chain; Predator-prey; Stream

Published in

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
2019, Volume: 103, number: 4, pages: 507-514 Publisher: SPRINGER

SLU Authors

• Bundschuh, Mirco

  • Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Koblenz-Landau

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG6 Clean water and sanitation


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-019-02696-w

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/102181