Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects

Pest control in agriculture is mainly based on the application of insecticides, which may impact nontarget beneficial organisms leading to undesirable ecological effects. Neonicotinoids are among the most widely used insecticides. However, they have important negative side effects, especially for po...

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Main Authors: Calvo-Agudo, Miguel, González-Cabrera, Joel, Picó, Yolanda, Calatayud-Vernich, Pau, Urbaneja, Alberto, Dicke, Marcel, Tena, Alejandro
Format: article
Language:Inglés
Published: National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6274
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/07/30/1904298116
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author Calvo-Agudo, Miguel
González-Cabrera, Joel
Picó, Yolanda
Calatayud-Vernich, Pau
Urbaneja, Alberto
Dicke, Marcel
Tena, Alejandro
author_browse Calatayud-Vernich, Pau
Calvo-Agudo, Miguel
Dicke, Marcel
González-Cabrera, Joel
Picó, Yolanda
Tena, Alejandro
Urbaneja, Alberto
author_facet Calvo-Agudo, Miguel
González-Cabrera, Joel
Picó, Yolanda
Calatayud-Vernich, Pau
Urbaneja, Alberto
Dicke, Marcel
Tena, Alejandro
author_sort Calvo-Agudo, Miguel
collection ReDivia
description Pest control in agriculture is mainly based on the application of insecticides, which may impact nontarget beneficial organisms leading to undesirable ecological effects. Neonicotinoids are among the most widely used insecticides. However, they have important negative side effects, especially for pollinators and other beneficial insects feeding on nectar. Here, we identify a more accessible exposure route: Neonicotinoids reach and kill beneficial insects that feed on the most abundant carbohydrate source for insects in agroecosystems, honeydew. Honeydew is the excretion product of phloem-feeding hemipteran insects such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, and psyllids. We allowed parasitic wasps and pollinating hoverflies to feed on honeydew from hemipterans feeding on trees treated with thiamethoxam or imidacloprid, the most commonly used neonicotinoids. LC-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that both neonicotinoids were present in honeydew. Honeydew with thiamethoxam was highly toxic to both species of beneficial insects, and honeydew with imidacloprid was moderately toxic to hoverflies. Collectively, our data provide strong evidence for honeydew as a route of insecticide exposure that may cause acute or chronic deleterious effects on nontarget organisms. This route should be considered in future environmental risk assessments of neonicotinoid applications.
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spelling ReDivia62742025-04-25T14:46:42Z Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects Calvo-Agudo, Miguel González-Cabrera, Joel Picó, Yolanda Calatayud-Vernich, Pau Urbaneja, Alberto Dicke, Marcel Tena, Alejandro Thiamethoxam P01 Nature conservation and land resources H01 Protection of plants - General aspects Environmental risk assessment Honeydew Pollinators Biological control agents Pest control in agriculture is mainly based on the application of insecticides, which may impact nontarget beneficial organisms leading to undesirable ecological effects. Neonicotinoids are among the most widely used insecticides. However, they have important negative side effects, especially for pollinators and other beneficial insects feeding on nectar. Here, we identify a more accessible exposure route: Neonicotinoids reach and kill beneficial insects that feed on the most abundant carbohydrate source for insects in agroecosystems, honeydew. Honeydew is the excretion product of phloem-feeding hemipteran insects such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, and psyllids. We allowed parasitic wasps and pollinating hoverflies to feed on honeydew from hemipterans feeding on trees treated with thiamethoxam or imidacloprid, the most commonly used neonicotinoids. LC-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that both neonicotinoids were present in honeydew. Honeydew with thiamethoxam was highly toxic to both species of beneficial insects, and honeydew with imidacloprid was moderately toxic to hoverflies. Collectively, our data provide strong evidence for honeydew as a route of insecticide exposure that may cause acute or chronic deleterious effects on nontarget organisms. This route should be considered in future environmental risk assessments of neonicotinoid applications. 2019-08-08T08:35:02Z 2019-08-08T08:35:02Z 2019 article publishedVersion Calvo-Agudo, M., González-Cabrera, J., Picó, Y., Calatayud-Vernich, P., Urbaneja, A., Dicke, M., & Tena, A. (2019). Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(34), 16817-16822. 1091-6490 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6274 10.1073/pnas.1904298116 https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/07/30/1904298116 en (RYC-2013-13834) Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 España http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/ National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America electronico
spellingShingle Thiamethoxam
P01 Nature conservation and land resources
H01 Protection of plants - General aspects
Environmental risk assessment
Honeydew
Pollinators
Biological control agents
Calvo-Agudo, Miguel
González-Cabrera, Joel
Picó, Yolanda
Calatayud-Vernich, Pau
Urbaneja, Alberto
Dicke, Marcel
Tena, Alejandro
Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects
title Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects
title_full Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects
title_fullStr Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects
title_full_unstemmed Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects
title_short Neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem-feeding insects kill beneficial insects
title_sort neonicotinoids in excretion product of phloem feeding insects kill beneficial insects
topic Thiamethoxam
P01 Nature conservation and land resources
H01 Protection of plants - General aspects
Environmental risk assessment
Honeydew
Pollinators
Biological control agents
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6274
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/07/30/1904298116
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