Ecotoxicology

https://link.springer.com/journal/10646

List of Papers (Total 229)

Seed treatment with clothianidin induces changes in plant metabolism and alters pollinator foraging preferences

Neonicotinoids, systemic insecticides that are distributed into all plant tissues and protect against pests, have become a common part of crop production, but can unintentionally also affect non-target organisms, including pollinators. Such effects can be direct effects from insecticide exposure, but neonicotinoids can affect plant physiology, and effects could therefore also be...

Using dietary exposure to determine sub-lethal effects from imidacloprid in two springtail (Collembola) species

Standard toxicity tests expose springtails (Collembola) through soil, while dietary exposure tests with animals visible on a surface are less commonly applied. We refined a method for dietary chemical exposure for two widely distributed and abundant Collembola species: Folsomia quadrioculata and Hypogastrura viatica as existing methods were sub-optimal. Newly hatched Collembola...

The effect of stress on rates of asexual reproduction in an invasive planarian

Animal reproduction under stressful conditions is often reduced, with current survival and future reproduction being generally traded off against current reproductive activity. This study examines the impacts of physical and chemical stressors on the rates of asexual reproduction of the invasive planarian Girardia tigrina. 320 wild-caught planaria (mixed size class) were kept...

Mercury in Neotropical birds: a synthesis and prospectus on 13 years of exposure data

Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination of the global tropics outpaces our understanding of its consequences for biodiversity. Knowledge gaps of pollution exposure could obscure conservation threats in the Neotropics: a region that supports over half of the world’s species, but faces ongoing land-use change and Hg emission via artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Due to...

Circumpolar assessment of mercury contamination: the Adélie penguin as a bioindicator of Antarctic marine ecosystems

Due to its persistence and potential ecological and health impacts, mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant of major concern that may reach high concentrations even in remote polar oceans. In contrast to the Arctic Ocean, studies documenting Hg contamination in the Southern Ocean are spatially restricted and large-scale monitoring is needed. Here, we present the first circumpolar...

Factors influencing mercury exposure in Arctic-breeding shorebirds

Mercury (Hg) pollution remains a concern to Arctic ecosystems, due to long-range transport from southern industrial regions and melting permafrost and glaciers. The objective of this study was to identify intrinsic, extrinsic, and temporal factors influencing Hg concentrations in Arctic-breeding shorebirds and highlight regions and species at greatest risk of Hg exposure. We...

Potential ecotoxicological effects of silver nanoparticles and silver sulphide on the endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa (Savigny 1826)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly used in consumer products and subsequently arrive in wastewater systems, accumulating as silver sulphide (Ag2S) in the resulting biosolids, which are commonly spread onto agricultural fields as a fertiliser. Experiments were performed to investigate the effect of AgNPs, using the endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa as a test...

Distribution and trends of mercury in aquatic and terrestrial biota of New York, USA: a synthesis of 50 years of research and monitoring

Mercury (Hg) inputs have particularly impacted the northeastern United States due to its proximity to anthropogenic emissions sources and abundant habitats that efficiently convert inorganic Hg into methylmercury. Intensive research and monitoring efforts over the past 50 years in New York State, USA, have informed the assessment of the extent and impacts of Hg exposure on fishes...

Effects of agricultural landscape structure and canola coverage on biochemical and physiological traits of the ground beetle Poecilus cupreus

The intensifications in the agricultural landscape and the application of pesticides can cause adverse effects on the fitness of organisms in that landscape. Here, we investigated whether habitats with different agricultural pressures influenced acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity – a biomarker for exposure to pesticides, respiration rate, and resistance to starvation in the...

Effects of diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, and wastewater from constructed wetlands on Eisenia fetida: impacts on mortality, fertility, and oxidative stress

Soil contamination with micropollutants is an important global problem and the impact of these pollutants on living organisms cannot be underestimated. The effects of diclofenac (DCF) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), their mixture (MIX), and wastewater containing these drugs on the mortality and reproduction of Eisenia fetida were investigated. The impact on the activities of...

Mercury accumulation and biomarkers of exposure in two popular recreational fishes in Hawaiian waters

Mercury (Hg) exposure has not been examined in many recreational nearshore fish species that are commonly consumed around the Hawaiian Islands. Specific gene transcripts, such as metallothionein (MET) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), can be used to examine Hg exposure responses in aquatic organisms. This study measured total mercury (THg) in four species from two groups of...

Characterization of patterns and variability in the dynamics of outdoor aquatic mesocosms: exploring the capabilities and challenges in data supporting aquatic system models

Aquatic mesocosms are complex test systems used within regulatory risk assessment of plant protection products. These model ecosystems allow researchers to capture interactions of multiple species under realistic environmental conditions. They enable assessment of direct and indirect effects of stressors at all trophic levels (i.e., from primary producers to secondary consumers...

Sulfoxaflor influences the biochemical and histological changes on honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

Pesticide application can have an adverse effect on pollinator honey bees, Apis mellifera L., ranging from mortality to sublethal effects. Therefore, it is necessary to understand any potential effects of pesticides. The present study reports the acute toxicity and adverse effects of sulfoxaflor insecticide on the biochemical activity and histological changes on A. mellifera. The...

Individual variation within wild populations of an arid-zone lizard dictates oxidative stress levels despite exposure to sublethal pesticides

The relationship between sublethal pesticide exposure and oxidative stress in an ecologically relevant field setting is relatively unknown for reptiles. Oxidative stress is a multi-faceted concept that dictates key survival and fitness parameters in any organism. Fipronil and fenitrothion are two pesticides widely used globally for agricultural pest management. Using a field...

Alterations to unionid transformation during agricultural and urban contaminants of emerging concern exposures

Highly imperiled unionids have a complex life cycle including the metamorphosis of an obligate parasite life stage, larval glochidia, to the juvenile stage. Despite the known vulnerabilities of both glochidia and juveniles to pollutants, little is known on how metamorphosis success may be affected by chemical stress. Disruption of the transformation process in which glochidia...

Titanium (IV) oxide anatase nanoparticles as vectors for diclofenac: assessing the antioxidative responses to single and combined exposures in the aquatic macrophyte Egeria densa

Titanium dioxide, frequently used in commonplace products, is now regularly detected in aquatic environments. Understanding its toxic effects on native biota is essential. However, combined toxicity with commonly occurring pollutants, such as the pharmaceutical diclofenac, may provide more insight into environmental situations. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the...

Population dynamics hide phenotypic changes driven by subtle chemical exposures: implications for risk assessments

Ecological risk assessment of chemicals focuses on the response of different taxa in isolation not taking ecological and evolutionary interplay in communities into account. Its consideration would, however, allow for an improved assessment by testing for implications within and across trophic levels and changes in the phenotypic and genotypic diversity within populations. We...

Natural soils in OECD 222 testing — influence of soil water and soil properties on earthworm reproduction toxicity of carbendazim

Soil sorption properties can influence the bioavailability of substances and consequently the toxicity for soil organisms. Current standardised laboratory testing for the exposure assessment of pesticides to soil organisms uses OECD artificial soil that does not reflect the high variation in chemical-physical soil properties found in natural agroecosystems. According to guideline...

Physiological status of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) along an ozone pollution gradient

Mexico City is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and one in which air contamination is considered a public health threat. Numerous studies have related high concentrations of particulate matter and ozone to several respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and a higher human mortality risk. However, almost all of those studies have focused on human health outcomes, and...

Toxicity bioassay and sub-lethal effects of profenofos-based insecticide on behavior, biochemical, hematological, and histopathological responses in Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Profenofos (organophosphate) is among the major toxicant polluting freshwater bodies, exerting a significant effect on fish health. The LC50 value of Profenofos (PRO) was resolved in Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) with average body weight (55.82 ± 5.42 g) and determined the 96 h LC50 value as 7.2 µg/L for the assay. Twenty-one-day exposures to 1.8 µg/ L and 3.6 µg/ L doses...

Toxicity of POEA-containing glyphosate-based herbicides to amphibians is mainly due to the surfactant, not to the active ingredient

Current international legislation regarding agrochemicals requires thorough toxicological testing mainly of the active ingredients. In a 96-h acute toxicity test we exposed Rana dalmatina and Bufo bufo tadpoles to either one of three concentrations of glyphosate, three concentrations of the surfactant (POEA), three concentrations of the two components together, or to non...

Recommended rates of azoxystrobin and tebuconazole seem to be environmentally safe but ineffective against target fungi

The use of fungicides in agriculture has been playing a role in the enhancement of agricultural yields through the control of pathogens causing serious diseases in crops. Still, adverse environmental and human health effects resulting from its application have been reported. In this study, the possibility of readjusting the formulation of a commercial product combining...