Growth, Reproduction, and Transgenerational Effects of Kinoprene on Moina macrocopa.

ABSTRACT

Juvenile hormone analogues (JHAs) are a kind of effective insecticide. These compounds have relatively low toxicity for fish, birds, and mammals, so they are increasingly used in insect pest control. However, JHAs may cause various adverse effects in crustaceans as in insects, because they have a close evolutionary relationship and possess similar juvenile hormone systems. To date, the chronic toxicities of JHAs over generations lacked intensive investigation. The present study evaluated the acute, chronic, and transgenerational effects of a terpenoid JHA, kinoprene, using the water flea Moina macrocopa. The result of acute exposure shows that kinoprene exhibited high toxicity to M. macrocopa. The chronic results indicate that kinoprene inhibited the survivorship, development, and reproduction of the organism. Moreover, the adverse effects induced by kinoprene continued in the F2 generation with no direct exposure but recovered in the F3 generation.