The present study was undertaken to assess the impact of a candidate mosquito larvicide, spinosad (8, 17 and 33 μg L−1) on a field population of Daphnia magna under natural variations of water temperature and salinity, using Bti (0.16 and 0.50 μL L-1) as the reference larvicide. Microcosms (125 L) were placed in a shallow temporary marsh where D. magna was naturally present. The peak of salinity observed during the 21-day observation period may have been partly responsible for the decrease of daphnid population density in all the microcosms. It is also probably responsible for the absence of recovery in the microcosms treated with spinosad which caused a sharp decrease of D. magna abundance within the first two days following treatment whereas Bti had no effect. These results suggest that it may be difficult for a field population of daphnids to cope simultaneously with natural (water salinity and temperature) and anthropogenic (larvicides) stressors.

Hydroponic greenhouse studies were used to investigate the effect of four anthropogenic pollutants (perchlorate (ClO4-), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), and hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI))) on the biological control agent Diorhabda elongata Brullé. Contaminant concentrations were quantified for experimental Tamarix ramosissima Ledab. plants and D. elongata beetles. Growth of larvae was significantly reduced by Se contamination, but was not affected by the presence of perchlorate, Mn, or Cr (VI). All of the contaminants were transferred from plants to D. elongata beetles. Only Cr (VI) was accumulated at greater levels in beetles than in their food. Because T. ramosissima grows in disturbed areas, acquires salts readily, and utilizes groundwater, this plant is likely to accumulate anthropogenic pollutants in contaminated areas. This study is one of the first to investigate the potential of an anthropogenic pollutant to influence a weed biological control system.

Thirty Atriplex lines were examined for potential habitat improvement and phytoremediation of selenium (Se) contaminated sites. Studies were conducted to determine the biomass production, Se accumulation, and resistance of each line to the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua, an agriculturally important insect. Plants were tested using three salinity treatments: (1) control, no Se; (2) NaCl and CaCl2 salts and 1 mg l-1 Se (12.7 μM) added as sodium selenate; and (3) iso-osmotic to treatment 2 containing high concentrations of sulfate and 1 mg l-1 Se added as sodium selenate. Insect bioassays measured survival, growth, and development. Atriplex patula, A. spongiosa 415862, A. hortensis, A. hortensis 379088 and A. hortensis 379092 were among the top biomass producers and Se accumulators, yet they exhibited significantly reduced insect growth, development, and survival. High background sulfate strongly reduced Se accumulation, suggesting that phytoremediation potential is greatest in saline areas having low to moderate sulfate levels. However, these lines grew well in high salinity soils, indicating possible use as a self-seeding cover crop to improve habitat. All plant lines grown in control and high sulfate salinity treatments are acceptable oviposition sites for S. exigua, indicating that these plants would help reduce populations of this key agricultural pest.

In agricultural fields, pesticides are widely used, but their residual presence in the environment poses a threat to humans, animals, insects, and ecosystems. The overuse of pesticides for pest control, enhancement of crop yield, etc. leaves behind a significant residual amount in the environment. Various robust, reliable, and reusable methods using a wide class of composites have been developed for the monitoring and controlling of pesticides. Researchers have discovered that carbon nanomaterials have a wide range of characteristics such as high porosity, conductivity and easy electron transfer that can be successfully used to detect pesticide residues from food. This review emphasizes the role of carbon nanomaterials in the field of pesticide residue analysis in different food matrices. The carbon nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes, carbon dots, carbon nanofibers, graphene/graphene oxides, and activated carbon fibres are discussed in the review. In addition, the review examines future prospects in this research area to help improve detection techniques for pesticides analysis.

Alpha-cypermethrin (Alpha-CP), an important pyrethroid pesticide, has been widely used for pest control in agriculture and parasite control in livestock farms. Thus, alpha-CP is easily exposed to wild birds and poultry, which may pose a potential risk to birds. Alpha-CP and its metabolites have been detected in many environmental samples, including poultry and wild birds. We studied the distribution and metabolism of alpha-CP and its metabolites in embryo development and newborn chick. The results showed that metabolites were the main residual forms of alpha-CP in different stages of life and might increase the exposure risk of bird and its offspring. Metabolomics investigation of newborn chick exhibited that the metabolic profiles of chicks were disturbed, especially lipid metabolism. The concentrations of cis-DCCA and trans-DCCA were high in the first and second weeks of chick growth, indicating that chicks have limited ability to further metabolize and excrete cis-DCCA and trans-DCCA during the early stages of chicks. Toxicokinetics of alpha-CP in adult hens showed that alpha-CP was rapidly metabolized to acid metabolites, which could be further metabolized and excreted. The results about metabolism of alpha-CP in different stages of chicken indicate that the ability of the embryo and early chick to metabolize alpha-CP and its metabolites was the weakest. Therefore, it is of important significance to focus on evaluating the ecological risk of cypermethrin on birds at different stages of life cycle.

Synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) are broadly used to control pests and have been widely detected in aquatic environments, prompting concern over its risk to the health of non-target organisms. The present study evaluated whether long-term (60 d) exposure to low doses (0, 20, 100, and 500 ng/L) of cis-BF enantiomers (1S-cis-BF and 1R-cis-BF) could cause reproductive endocrine disturbance to zebrafish. Exposure to 1S-cis-BF has stronger reproductive impairment effect than 1R-enantiomer, indicating that the enantioselectivity of cis-BF on fish reproduction. Significant decrease of cumulative spawning of zebrafish was observed as a result of cis-BF exposure. And the retardations of testis and ovaries development found in histopathological section were suggested to be important cause for the decreased fecundity. Cis-BF decreased the total motility of sperm but did not affect sperm density. Relatively high levels of cis-BF detected in the gonads of males and females may directly impair gametogenesis. In addition, alterations in the expression of key genes (cyp17, cyp19a and 17β-hsd) associated with reproductive endocrine pathways were correlated well with the significant changes in sex hormone contents (E2 and T) and these results may relate to gonadal development and maturation of germ cells in females or/and males which were suspected to be a likely underlying mechanism. Furthermore, the reduction of quality of F1 embryo derived from the unexposed females and exposed males (UE♀ × E♂) demonstrated that male exposure had greater adverse effects on offspring. Our results indicate that long term, low dose exposure to cis-BF can enantioselectively impair the reproduction system of fish, and induce toxicity related abnormalities in non-exposed offspring. This study has important implications for environmental risk assessment of chiral pesticides that are concurrently present in aquatic systems.

Chlorotriazine herbicides (CTs) are widely used pest control chemicals. In contrast to groundwater contamination, little attention has been given to the circumstances of residue formation of parent compounds and transformation products in soils.Seventy-five cultivated floodplain topsoils in the Czech Republic were sampled in early spring of 2015, corresponding to a minimum of six months (current-use terbuthylazine, TBA) and a up to a decade (banned atrazine, AT and simazine, SIM) after the last herbicide application. Soil residues of parent compounds and nine transformation products were quantified via multiple residue analysis using liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry of acetonitrile partitioning extracts (QuEChERS). Using principal component analysis (PCA), their relation to soil chemistry, crops and environmental parameters was determined.Of the parent compounds, only TBA was present in more than one sample. In contrast, at least one CT transformation product, particularly hydroxylated CTs, was detected in 89% of the sites, or 54% for banned triazines. Deethylated and bi-dealkylated SIM or AT residues were not detectable. PCA suggests the formation and/or retention of CT hydroxy-metabolite residues to be related to low soil pH, and a direct relation between TBA and soil organic carbon, and between deethyl-TBA and clay or Ca contents, respectively, the latter pointing towards distinct sorption mechanisms. The low historic application of simazine contrasted by the high abundance of its residues, and the co-occurrence with AT residues suggests the post-ban application of AT and SIM banned triazines as a permitted impurity of TBA formulations as a recent, secondary source.The present data indicate that topsoils do not contain abundant extractable residues of banned parent chlorotriazines, and are thus likely not the current source for related ground- and surface water contamination. In contrast, topsoils might pose a long-term source of TBA and CT transformation products for ground and surface water contamination.

The genetically modified maize MON89034 × MON88017 expresses different crystal (Cry) proteins with pesticidal activity against the European corn borer (Cry1.105; Cry2Ab2) and the Western corn root worm (Cry3Bb1). Non-target organisms, such as soil nematodes, might be exposed to the Cry proteins that enter the soil in course of crop growing. Therefore, the risk of those proteins for nematodes was assessed by testing their toxic effects on Caenorhabditis elegans. All three insecticidal Cry proteins showed dose-dependent inhibitory effects on C. elegans reproduction (EC50: 0.12–0.38 μmol L−1), however, at concentrations that were far above the expected soil concentrations. Moreover, a reduced toxicity was observed when Cry proteins were added jointly. A C. elegans mutant strain deficient for receptors for the nematicidal Cry5B was also resistant against Cry1.105 and Cry2Ab2, suggesting that these Cry proteins bound to the same or similar receptors as nematicidal Cry proteins and thereby affect the reproduction of C. elegans.

Various chemicals containing pesticides can induce adipogenesis and cause obesity. Organophosphorus pesticides have been used for pest control. Here, we investigated the estrogen receptor (ER)-dependent adipogenesis-inducing effect of representative organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), diazinon, phoxim, terbufos and tolclofos-methyl in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Four OPs exhibited ER agonistic effect, determined using the OECD Performance Based Test Guideline No. 455; in vitro ER stably transfected transactivation assay using ERα-HeLa-9903 cell line, through binding affinity to ERα. Additionally, they increased lipid droplet accumulation in a dose-dependent manner, which was suppressed by ICI182,780, a well-known ER antagonist. Four OPs treatment induced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPα), and perilipin expression. Furthermore, PPARγ, C/EBPα and perilipin expression was inhibited by co-treatment with ICI182,780. The increased mRNA expression of lipoprotein lipase and fatty acid synthase by four OPs was suppressed by co-treatment with ICI182,780. These results indicated that diazinon, phoxim, terbufos, and tolclofos-methyl might have adipogenesis-inducing effect mediated by interacting with ER.

The neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid is widely applied for pest control in agriculture production, and its exposure often results in adverse effects on a non-target insect, Bombyx mori. However, only few studies have investigated the effects of exposure to sublethal doses of neonicotinoid insecticides on gut microbiota and susceptibility to pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we aimed to explore the possible mechanisms underlying the acetamiprid-induced compositional changes in gut microbiota of silkworm and reduced host resistance against detrimental microbes. This study indicated that sublethal dose of acetamiprid activated the dual oxidase-reactive oxygen species (Duox-ROS) system and induced ROS accumulation, leading to dysregulation of intestinal immune signaling pathways. The evenness and structure of bacterial community were altered. Moreover, after 96 h of exposure to sublethal dose of acetamiprid, several bacteria, such as Pseudomonas sp (Biotype A, DOP-1a, XW34) and Staphylococcus sp (RCB1054, RCB314, X302), invaded the silkworm hemolymph. The survival rate and bodyweight of the acetamiprid treated silkworm larvae inoculated with Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) were significantly lower than the acetamiprid treatment group, suggesting that acetamiprid reduced silkworm resistance against pathogens. These findings indicated that acetamiprid disturbed gut microbial homeostasis of Bombyx mori, resulting in changes in gut microbial community and susceptibility to detrimental microbes.