Thiamethoxam soil contaminations reduce fertility of soil-dwelling beetles, Aethina tumida
There in increasing evidence for recent global insect declines. This is of major concern as insects play a critical role in ecosystem functionality and human food security. Even though environmental pollutants are known to reduce insect fertility, their potential effects on insect fitness remain poo...
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Published in | Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 339; p. 139648 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Elsevier Ltd
01.10.2023
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | There in increasing evidence for recent global insect declines. This is of major concern as insects play a critical role in ecosystem functionality and human food security. Even though environmental pollutants are known to reduce insect fertility, their potential effects on insect fitness remain poorly understood - especially for soil-dwelling species. Here, we show that fertility of soil-dwelling beetles, Aethina tumida, is reduced, on average, by half due to field-realistic neonicotinoid soil contaminations. In the laboratory, pupating beetles were exposed via soil to concentrations of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam that reflect global pollution of agricultural and natural habitats. Emerged adult phenotypes and reproduction were measured, and even the lowest concentration reported from natural habitats reduced subsequent reproduction by 50%. The data are most likely a conservative estimate as the beetles were only exposed during pupation. Since the tested concentrations reflect ubiquitous soil pollution, the data reveal a plausible mechanism for ongoing insect declines. An immediate reduction in environmental pollutants is urgently required if our aim is to mitigate the prevailing loss of species biodiversity.
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•Field relevant soil contaminations of thiamethoxam impair beetle fertility.•Female adult egg laying rates were reduced by 50% even at the lowest concentration.•The data reveal a mechanistic explanation for recent declines in insect populations.•Reductions in soil pollution are urgently required to safeguard insect biodiversity. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0045-6535 1879-1298 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139648 |