How do pesticides affect bats? – A brief review of recent publications

Oliveira, Jerusa Maria de; Freitas, Mariella Bontempo; Oliveira, Leandro Licursi de

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.225330

Cited by 26 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(68 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Research on bat ecotoxicology is limited, and the use of genotoxic biomarkers is especially rare (Oliveira et al 2020). Studies looking at chromosomal aberrations and DNA damage using the comet assay and flow cytometry did not find a correlation between environmental pollutants and genotoxic effects in wild bats (Thies et al 1996; Naidoo et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micronucleus Test Reveals Genotoxic Effects in Bats Associated with Agricultural Activity

Sandoval-Herrera

Castillo

et al. 2020

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bats play a vital role in our ecosystems and economies as natural pest‐control agents, seed dispersers, and pollinators. Agricultural intensification, however, can impact bats foraging near crops, affecting the ecosystem services they provide. Exposure to pesticides, for example, may induce chromosome breakage or missegregation that can result in micronucleus formation. Detection of micronuclei is a simple, inexpensive, and relatively minimally invasive technique commonly used to evaluate chemical genotoxicity but rarely applied to assess wildlife genotoxic effects. We evaluated the suitability of the micronucleus test as a biomarker of genotoxicity for biomonitoring field studies in bats. We collected blood samples from insectivorous bats roosting in caves surrounded by different levels of disturbance (agriculture, human settlements) in Colima and Jalisco, west central Mexico. Then, we examined the frequency of micronucleus inclusions in erythrocytes using differentially stained blood smears. Bats from caves surrounded by proportionately more (53%) land used for agriculture and irrigated year‐round had higher micronucleus frequency than bats from a less disturbed site (15% agriculture). We conclude that the micronucleus test is a sensitive method to evaluate genotoxic effects in free‐ranging bats and could provide a useful biomarker for evaluating risk of exposure in wild populations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:202–207. © 2020 SETAC

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Micronucleus Test Reveals Genotoxic Effects in Bats Associated with Agricultural Activity

Sandoval-Herrera

Castillo

et al. 2020

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…PPP are known to affect bats; next to the potential direct skin contact in their roosts, bats in Europe are indirectly affected via insects, their main food source [ 20 ]. Better understanding the relations between the distribution of PPP in ecosystems, food availability and bats health is eminent for their protection.…”

Section: Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collection of human and environmental data on pesticide use in Europe and Argentina: Field study protocol for the SPRINT project

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Current farm systems rely on the use of Plant Protection Products (PPP) to secure high productivity and control threats to the quality of the crops. However, PPP use may have considerable impacts on human health and the environment. A study protocol is presented aiming to determine the occurrence and levels of PPP residues in plants (crops), animals (livestock), humans and other non-target species (ecosystem representatives) for exposure modelling and impact assessment. To achieve this, we designed a cross-sectional study to compare conventional and organic farm systems across Europe. Environmental and biological samples were/are being/will be collected during the 2021 growing season, at 10 case study sites in Europe covering a range of climate zones and crops. An additional study site in Argentina will inform the impact of PPP use on growing soybean which is an important European protein-source in animal feed. We will study the impact of PPP mixtures using an integrated risk assessment methodology. The fate of PPP in environmental media (soil, water and air) and in the homes of farmers will be monitored. This will be complemented by biomonitoring to estimate PPP uptake by humans and farm animals (cow, goat, sheep and chicken), and by collection of samples from non-target species (earthworms, fish, aquatic and terrestrial macroinvertebrates, bats, and farm cats). We will use data on PPP residues in environmental and biological matrices to estimate exposures by modelling. These exposure estimates together with health and toxicity data will be used to predict the impact of PPP use on environment, plant, animal and human health. The outcome of this study will then be integrated with socio-economic information leading to an overall assessment used to identify transition pathways towards more sustainable plant protection and inform decision makers, practitioners and other stakeholders regarding farming practices and land use policy.

show abstract

“…As it was to be supposed, not even bats escape the action of pesticides, having an omnivorous diet and thus exposing themselves to a wide range of contaminants as has been ascertained by (Oliveira et al, 2020), even if the populations of these mammals are still the least studied regarding the effects of pesticide residues on their health. The negative effects of pesticides, in fact, also occur on taxons, like bats, which are usually overlooked in toxicity studies, although they are important living species that play a large role in ecosystems as they disperse plant seeds and keep controlling the spread of pests.…”

Section: On Bees and Batsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pesticides: An Overview of the Current Health Problems of Their Use

Leoci¹,

Ruberti²

2021

GEP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The necessity to produce increasing quantities of food to meet the demand of ever-increasing populations has led to the massive use of pesticides in agriculture. Their massive consumption derives from the need to subtract food from competition of fungi, bacteria, and insects and agricultural land from the invasion of competing weeds. Modern agriculture floats on an ocean of synthetic chemical compounds used to crop protection and food preservation during storage. Presently, worldwide about 2000 active ingredients have been listed, categorized into about 60 classes of chemicals. In the world, the overall pesticides, used in agriculture, are about 4.1 million tonnes/years. The exposure of animals and humans to pesticides could be related to neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, liver and kidney damage, cancer, reproductive effects (sperm abnormalities, decreased fertility, fetal growth retardation, birth defects, or spontaneous abortion), and growth modifications. However, the knowledge about their potential damage to the organs of reproduction, breastfeeding, and infants is still largely insufficient. It is necessary to improve new methods to identify and regulate the long-term safety of pesticides use, to protect the environment and health, and to eliminate the adverse effect of pesticides on the environment and non-target organisms. The assessment of possible risks of old and new pesticides must be increased to include the possible effects on reproduction on animals and pregnancy loss even after a long time. In the meantime, it is necessary to minimize the use of synthetic chemical compounds by increasing the use of biological systems.

show abstract

How do pesticides affect bats? – A brief review of recent publications

Cited by 26 publications

References 50 publications

Micronucleus Test Reveals Genotoxic Effects in Bats Associated with Agricultural Activity

Micronucleus Test Reveals Genotoxic Effects in Bats Associated with Agricultural Activity

Collection of human and environmental data on pesticide use in Europe and Argentina: Field study protocol for the SPRINT project

Pesticides: An Overview of the Current Health Problems of Their Use

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About