Effect of petroleum-derived substances on life history traits of black bean aphid (Aphis fabae Scop.) and on the growth and chemical composition of broad bean
Effect of petroleum-derived substances on life history traits of black bean aphid (Aphis fabae Scop.) and on the growth and chemical composition of broad bean
Milena Rusin 0 1
● Janina Gospodarek 0 1
● Aleksandra Nadgórska-Socha 0 1
● Gabriela Barczyk 0 1
0 Department of Ecology, University of Silesia , Bankowa 9, Katowice 40-007 , Poland
1 Department of Agricultural Environment Protection, University of Agriculture , al. A. Mickiewicza 21, Krakow 31-120 , Poland
The aim of the study was to determine the effects of various petroleum-derived substances, namely petrol, diesel fuel and spent engine oil, on life history traits and population dynamics of the black bean aphid Aphis fabae Scop. and on growth and chemical composition of its host plant Vicia faba L. Each substance was tested separately, using two concentrations (9 g kg−1 and 18 g kg−1). The experiment was conducted in four replications (four pots with five plants in each pot per treatment). Plants were cultivated in both control and contaminated soils. After six weeks from soil contamination and five weeks from sowing the seeds, observations of the effect of petroleum-derived substances on traits of three successive generations of aphids were conducted. Aphids were inoculated separately on leaves using cylindrical cages hermetically closed on both sides. Contamination of aphid occurred through its host plant. Results showed that all tested substances adversely affected A. fabae life history traits and population dynamics: extension of the prereproductive period, reduction of fecundity and life span, reduction of the population intrinsic growth rate. In broad bean, leaf, roots, and shoot growth was also impaired in most conditions, whereas nutrient and heavy metal content varied according to substances, their concentration, as well as plant part analysed. Results indicate that soil contamination with petroleum-derived substances entails far-reaching changes not only in organisms directly exposed to these pollutants (plants), but also indirectly in herbivores (aphids) and consequently provides information about potential negative effects on further links of the food chain, i.e., for predators and parasitoids.
Petroleum-derived Substances ● Aphis fabae Scop; ● Heavy metals ● Macronutrients ● Micronutrients ● Broad bean
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Due to their commonness and versatility, petroleum and
petroleum-derived substances (PDSs) are used in many
industrial fields. However, once they pervade the natural
environment, these compounds can adversely affect the
growth and development of cultivated plants (Shirdam et al.
2008; Gbadebo and Adenuga 2012). They contribute to the
increase of heavy metal content in plants (Onweremadu and
Duruigbo 2007; Ujowundu et al. 2011; Rusin et al. 2015),
they reduce chlorophyll, protein and carotenoid levels
(Achuba 2006; Adenipekun et al. 2008), they constrain
plant germination, decrease photosynthetic activity
(Agbogidi and Eshegbeyi 2006; Besalatpour et al. 2008; Njoku
et al. 2008), and modify the content of micro- and
macroelements in plants (Odjegba and Atebe 2007; Shukry et al.
2013). The effect of PDSs on nutrient levels depends chiefly
on the type and dose of compounds applied as well as plant
species (Wyszkowski and Wyszkowska 2005; Wyszkowski
and Ziółkowska 2009a).
Additionally, PDSs modify physicochemical and
biological properties of soil, which may also indirectly affect the
condition and health status of cultivated plants
(Wyszkowska et al. 2002; Lawrence 2013). These substances
cause far-reaching changes in the amount and composition
of organic content, a reduction of water holding capacity, an
increase in the demand for oxygen; they hamper or
completely block air transport between the atmosphere and the
soil (Caravaca and Rodán 2003; Iturbe et al. 2007), as well
as modify the abundance and species composition of
edaphic microflora and fauna (Baran et al. 2004). Soil
contamination with petroleum causes the sorption complex
capacity to drop and reduces the ability to exchange
calcium, magnesium, and potassium while also decreasing the
availability of these macrocomponents (Agbogidi et al.
2007; Wyszkowski and Ziółkowska 2008). Cultivated
plants show varying degrees of susceptibility to the
presence of PDSs in soil, the resultant harmful impact
depending on numerous factors, such as: type and dose of
substances applied, soil properties, soil moisture and pH,
oxygen and organic matter content, fertilisation applied and
plant species (Wyszkowski and Ziółkowska 2009a).
While the impact of PDSs on plant growth and other
organisms directly exposed to the contact with pollutants
(e.g., edaphic or aquatic invertebrates) is well documented
in scientific literature, information concerning the indirect
impact of these compounds from soil via plant on
herbivores is still lacking. Arthropods, given their enormous
diversity, easy acquisition and breeding, high fecundity rate
and short life cycle, are a useful element to consider in a
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