Abstract
Predation presents specific behavioral characteristics for each species, and the interaction between prey and predator influences the structuring of the food web. Concerning insects, predation can be affected in different ways, such as exposure to chemical stressors, e.g., pesticides. Therefore, analyses were carried out of the effects of exposure to insecticide fipronil and the herbicide 2,4-D on predation, parameters of food selectivity, and the swimming behavior of two neotropical predatory aquatic insects of the families Belostomatidae (giant water bugs) and larvae of Libellulidae (dragonfly). These predatory insects were exposed for 24 h to a commercial formulation of the chlorophenoxy herbicide, 2,4-D at nominal concentrations of 200, 300, 700, and 1400 μg L−1, and to a commercial formulation of the phenylpyrazole insecticide, fipronil at nominal concentrations of 10, 70, 140, and 250 µg L−1. In a control treatment, the insects were placed in clean, unspiked water. At the end of the exposure, the maximum swimming speed of the predators was evaluated. Afterward, the predators were placed in clean water in a shared environment for 24 h with several prey species, including the cladoceran Ceriodaphnia silvestrii, larvae of the insect Chironomus sancticaroli, the amphipod Hyalella meinerti, the ostracod Strandesia trispinosa, and the oligochaete Allonais inaequalis for 24 h. After this period, the consumed prey was counted. The results reveal that predators from both families changed prey consumption compared with organisms from the control treatment, marked by a decrease after exposure to fipronil and an increase in consumption caused by 2,4-D. In addition, there were changes in the food preferences of both predators, especially when exposed to the insecticide. Exposure to fipronil decreased the swimming speed of Belostomatidae individuals, possibly due to its neurotoxic effect. Exposure to the insecticide and the herbicide altered prey intake by predators, which could negatively influence the complex prey–predator relationship and the functioning of aquatic ecosystems in contaminated areas.
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Acknowledgements
K.L.F. Ruggiero would like to thank the São Paulo Research Foundation “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo” (FAPESP) for the scientific initiation scholarship grant to the first author (Process number: 2020/07221-6). R.A. Moreira and T.J.S. Pinto would like also to thank the FAPESP for their postdoctoral grant (Process number: 2017/24126-4 and 2022/14293-9, respectively). D.F. Gomes thanks the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the financial support process N° (141304/2020-0). The authors would like to thank Jane Godwin Coury for revising the text.
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This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo” (FAPESP) for the scientific initiation scholarship grant to the first author (Process number: 2020/07221-6). R.A. Moreira would like to thank the São Paulo Research Foundation “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo” (FAPESP) for the postdoctoral grant (Process number: 2017/24126-4).
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KLFR helped in conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, and writing—original draft. TJSP helped in formal analysis, investigation, and writing—review and editing. DFG worked in investigation and writing—review and editing. MAD worked in investigation and formal analysis. CCM helped in methodology, resources, and writing—review and editing. OR helped in methodology and writing—review and editing. RAM helped in conceptualization, methodology, resources, writing—review and editing, funding acquisition, and supervision.
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Ruggiero, K.L.F., da Silva Pinto, T.J., Gomes, D.F. et al. Ecological Implications on Aquatic Food Webs Due to Effects of Pesticides on Invertebrate Predators in a Neotropical Region. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 86, 112–124 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-024-01052-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-024-01052-2