The influence of insecticide exposure and environmental stimuli on the movement behaviour and dispersal of a freshwater isopod

Abstract

Behaviour links physiological function with ecological processes and can be very sensitive towards environmental stimuli and chemical exposure. As such, behavioural indicators of toxicity are well suited for assessing impacts of pesticides at sublethal concentrations found in the environment. Recent developments in video-tracking technologies offer the possibility of quantifying behavioural patterns, particularly locomotion, which in general has not been studied and understood very well for aquatic macroinvertebrates to date. In this study, we aim to determine the potential effects of exposure to two neurotoxic pesticides with different modes of action at different concentrations (chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid) on the locomotion behaviour of the water louse Asellus aquaticus. We compare the effects of the different exposure regimes on the behaviour of Asellus with the effects that the presence of food and shelter exhibit to estimate the ecological relevance of behavioural changes. We found that sublethal pesticide exposure reduced dispersal distances compared to controls, whereby exposure to chlorpyrifos affected not only animal activity but also step lengths while imidacloprid only slightly affected step lengths. The presence of natural cues such as food or shelter induced only minor changes in behaviour, which hardly translated to changes in dispersal potential. These findings illustrate that behaviour can serve as a sensitive endpoint in toxicity assessments. However, under natural conditions, depending on the exposure concentration, the actual impacts might be outweighed by environmental conditions that an organism is subjected to. It is, therefore, of importance that the assessment of toxicity on behaviour is done under relevant environmental conditions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10646-016-1686-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Genetic differentiation in pesticide resistance between urban and rural populations of a nontarget freshwater keystone interactor, Daphnia magna

“…Impacts tested in more realistic settings often focus on the assessment of relative sensitivities of multiple organism groups (Cuppen et al, 2002 ; Echeverri‐Jaramillo et al, 2020 ; Gaizick et al, 2001 ; Pérez et al, 2015 ), the impact of individual interacting environmental variables on model organisms (e.g. food concentration, shelter availability; Augusiak & van den Brink, 2016 ), the toxicity of pesticide mixtures, drainage ditch water or rain water samples on nontarget species (Cáceres et al, 2007 ; Hasenbein et al, 2017 ; Sakai, 2002 ; Wood & Stark, 2002 ) or ecosystem level interactions in standardized indoor or outdoor mesocosms (Kersting & van Wijngaarden, 1992 ; Knillmann et al, 2012 ; López‐Mancisidor et al, 2008 ; van den Brink et al, 1995 ; Zafar et al, 2011 ). While such experiments are crucial to improve ecological risk assessment of pesticides and the mechanistic understanding of their specific modes of action and detrimental effects, they often overlook the possibility that populations can evolve resistance to applied toxicants (e.g.…”

Ozone Induces Distress Behaviors in Fig Wasps with a Reduced Chance of Recovery

“…Among pollinators, insects exhibit spectacular and diverse behaviors that are key to their participation in ecological interactions. These behaviors can be acutely sensitive to environmental stressors, such as exposure to chemicals [14]. Specifically, a change in behavior is very often the first response of an organism to an environmental change.…”

Investigation of the Combined Effects of Rising Temperature and Pesticide Contamination on the Swimming Behaviour of Alpine Chironomids

“…The strongest effect of the combination of high temperature (11 • C) and high CPF concentration (110 ng L −1 ) was evident after three days of treatment, with a significant decrease in both distance and speed. The immobilisation of the larvae was probably due to the neurotoxicity of CPF, which inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, interfering with neural transmission [52][53][54].…”