A freshwater mesocosm study into the effects of the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam at multiple trophic levels.

Thiamethoxam is a neonicotinoid insecticide used widely in agriculture to control a broad spectrum of insect pests. To assess potential risks from this compound to non-target aquatic organisms, an outdoor mesocosm study was performed. Mesocosms (1300 L) were treated once with a formulated product with the active substance (a.s.) thiamethoxam at nominal concentrations of 1 (n = 3), 3 (n = 3), 10 (n = 4), 30 (n = 4), and 100 (n = 2) µg a.s./L, plus untreated controls (n = 4). Primary producers (phytoplankton), zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates were monitored for up to 93 days following treatment. Thiamethoxam was observed to have a water column dissipation half-life (DT50) of ≤1.6-5.2 days in the mesocosms. Community-based principal response curve analysis detected no treatment effects for phytoplankton, zooplankton, emergent insects, and macroinvertebrates, indicating a lack of direct and indirect effects. A number of statistically significant differences from controls were detected for individual phytoplankton and zooplankton species abundances, but these were not considered to be treatment-related due to their transient nature and lack of concentration-response. After application of 30 µg a.s./L, slight temporary effects on Asellus aquaticus could not be excluded. At 100 µg a.s./L, there was an effect with no clear recovery of Asellus observed, likely due to their inability to recolonize these isolated test systems. A statistically significant but transient reduction in the emergence of chironomids by day 23 at the 100 µg a.s./L treatment was observed and possibly related to direct toxicity from thiamethoxam on larval stages. Therefore, a conservative study specific No Observed Ecological Adverse Effect Concentration (NOEAEC) is proposed to be 30 µg a.s./L. Overall, based on current concentrations of thiamethoxam detected in North American surface waters (typically <0.4 µg/L), there is low likelihood of direct or indirect effects from a pulsed exposure on primary producers, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates, including insects, as monitored in this study.

Response of the mayfly (Cloeon dipterum) to chronic exposure to thiamethoxam in outdoor mesocosms.

Thiamethoxam is a widely used neonicotinoid insecticide that has been detected in surface water monitoring programs in North America and Europe. This has led to questions about its toxicity to nontarget insects, specifically those with an aquatic life stage. To address the uncertainty associated with possible impacts from environmental exposures, a chronic (35-d) outdoor mesocosm study with a formulated product containing thiamethoxam was conducted. The specific focus of the study was the response of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), which have been reported to be particularly sensitive in laboratory studies. A range of concentrations (nominally 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, and 10.0 µg/L thiamethoxam), plus untreated controls were tested, and the abundance and emergence of mayflies (Cloeon dipterum) were assessed weekly for 35 d. Mean measured time-weighted average exposures were within 6% of nominal over the duration of the study, with the mean half-life of thiamethoxam in each treatment ranging from 7 to 13 d. Statistically significant reductions in both larval abundance and adult emergence were observed at 10.0, 3.0, and 1.0 µg/L following 1, 2, and 3 wk of exposure, respectively. Exposure to 0.1 and 0.3 µg/L thiamethoxam had no statistically significant effect on larval mayfly abundance or adult emergence at any point in the study. These findings support a 35-d no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) of 0.3 µg thiamethoxam/L for mayflies (C. dipterum) under chronic conditions. Furthermore, because the 95th percentile of environmental concentrations has been reported to be 0.054 µg/L, these results indicate that populations of C. dipterum and similarly sensitive aquatic insects are unlikely to be significantly impacted by thiamethoxam exposure in natural systems represented by the conditions in our study. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1040-1050. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Comprehensive characterization of the acute and chronic toxicity of the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam to a suite of aquatic primary producers, invertebrates, and fish.

Thiamethoxam is a neonicotinoid insecticide used widely in agriculture to control a broad spectrum of chewing and sucking insect pests. Recent detection of thiamethoxam in surface waters has raised interest in characterizing the potential impacts of this insecticide to aquatic organisms. We report the results of toxicity testing (acute and chronic) conducted under good laboratory practices for more than 30 freshwater species (insects, molluscs, crustaceans, algae, macrophytes, and fish) and 4 marine species (an alga, a mollusc, a crustacean, and a fish). As would be anticipated for a neonicotinoid, aquatic primary producers and fish were the least sensitive organisms tested, with acute median lethal and effect concentrations (LC50/EC50) observed to be ≥80 mg/L in all cases, which far exceeds surface water exposure concentrations. Tested molluscs, worms, and rotifers were similarly insensitive (EC50 ≥ 100 mg/L), except for Lumbriculus sp., with an EC50 of 7.7 mg/L. In general, insects were the most sensitive group in the study, with most acute EC50 values < 1 mg/L. However, the crustaceans Asellus aquaticus and Ostracoda exhibited a sensitivity similar to that of insects (acute EC50 < 1 mg/L), and the midge larvae Chaoborus sp. were relatively insensitive compared with other insects (EC50 > 5.5 mg/L). The most sensitive chronic response was for Chironomus riparius, with a 30-d no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC; emergence) of 0.01 mg/L. Observed toxicity to the tested marine organisms was comparable to that of freshwater species. We used the reported data to construct species sensitivity distributions for thiamethoxam, to calculate 5% hazard concentrations (HC5s) for acute data (freshwater invertebrates), and compared these with measured concentrations from relevant North American surface waters. Overall, based on acute toxicity endpoints, the potential acute risk to freshwater organisms was found to be minimal (likelihood of exceeding HC5s < 1%). Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2838-2848. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Interactions between atrazine and phosphorus in aquatic systems: effects on phytoplankton and periphyton.

It has been proposed that the herbicide atrazine may increase rates of parasitic trematode infection in amphibians. This effect may occur indirectly as a result of increased biomass of periphyton and augmented populations of aquatic snails, which are the trematode's primary larval host. Evidence has also shown that nutrients alone may induce the same indirect responses. Since both atrazine and nutrients commonly enter surface waters from agricultural run-off, their spatial and temporal co-occurrence are highly probable. In light of recent wide-spread declines in amphibian populations, a better understanding of the role of atrazine in the proposed ecological mechanism is necessary. A microcosm study was conducted to quantify biomass of phytoplankton and periphyton over a range of atrazine and phosphorus concentrations (from 0 to 200 µg L(-1) each) using a central composite rotatable design. Over 10 weeks, biomass and water chemistry were monitored using standard methods. Regression and canonical analyses of the response surfaces for each parameter were conducted. We found significant effects of atrazine and phosphorus on dissolved oxygen, pH, and conductivity throughout the study. Additions of phosphorus mitigated the apparent inhibition of these photosynthetic indicators caused by atrazine. Despite these changes, no consistent treatment-related differences in algal biomass were observed. These results indicate that the indirect impacts of atrazine on total growth of periphyton and likely, subsequent effects on aquatic snails, are not expected to be ecologically significant at the concentrations of atrazine tested (up to 200 µg L(-1)) and over a range of nutrient conditions commonly occurring in agroecosystems.

Atrazine does not affect algal biomass or snail populations in microcosm communities at environmentally relevant concentrations.

The herbicide atrazine is a photosynthetic inhibitor used around the world in agricultural applications. Contamination of surface waters adjacent to treated areas can directly reduce growth of nontarget aquatic autotrophs, but the severity of impacts is highly dependent on species sensitivity and exposure concentration. Secondary effects resulting from macrophyte or phytoplankton decline may include an expansion of the more tolerant periphyton community. Recently, this shift in the autotrophic community has been proposed as a mechanism for increased rates of parasite infections in amphibians via augmented populations of aquatic snails which act as intermediate hosts to larval trematodes. To further clarify this relationship, an outdoor microcosm study was conducted to examine the effects of atrazine on primary production and snail populations over a range of environmentally relevant concentrations. In July 2009, 15 experimental ponds were treated to achieve initial concentrations of 0, 1, 10, 30, and 100 µg/L atrazine. Over a period of 73 d, measures were taken of macrophyte, phytoplankton, and periphyton biomass, growth, and fecundity of caged snails (Physella spp. and Stagnicola elodes) and free-living snails (Physella spp.). Except for declines in macrophyte biomass at the highest treatment level, no consistent relationships were found between atrazine concentration and any measured parameter. Comparison of these results with previous findings highlights the variability of responses to atrazine exposure between similarly constructed freshwater communities, even at concentrations up to 20 times higher than sustained environmental levels.