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Non-conventional endpoints show higher sulfoxaflor toxicity to Chironomus riparius than conventional endpoints in a multistress environment

Rasmussen, Sofie B. ; Bosker, Thijs ; Barmentlo, S.Henrik H. ; Berglund, Olof LU orcid and Vijver, Martina G. (2024) In Aquatic Toxicology 275.
Abstract

Evidence grows that standard toxicity testing might underestimate the environmental risk of neurotoxic insecticides. Behavioural endpoints such as locomotion and mobility have been suggested as sensitive and ecologically relevant additions to the standard tested endpoints. Possible interactive effects of chemicals and additional stressors are typically overlooked in standardised testing. Therefore, we aimed to investigate how concurrent exposure to environmental stressors (increased temperature and predation cues) and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-modulating insecticide (‘sulfoxaflor’) impact Chironomus riparius across a range of conventional and non-conventional endpoints. We used a multifactorial experimental design... (More)

Evidence grows that standard toxicity testing might underestimate the environmental risk of neurotoxic insecticides. Behavioural endpoints such as locomotion and mobility have been suggested as sensitive and ecologically relevant additions to the standard tested endpoints. Possible interactive effects of chemicals and additional stressors are typically overlooked in standardised testing. Therefore, we aimed to investigate how concurrent exposure to environmental stressors (increased temperature and predation cues) and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-modulating insecticide (‘sulfoxaflor’) impact Chironomus riparius across a range of conventional and non-conventional endpoints. We used a multifactorial experimental design encompassing three stressors, sulfoxaflor (2.0–110 µg/L), predation risk (presence/absence of predatory cues), and elevated temperature (20 °C and 23 °C), yielding a total of 24 distinct treatment conditions. Additional stressors did not change the sensitivity of C. riparius to sulfoxaflor. To assess potential additive effects, we applied an Independent Action (IA) model to predict the impact on eight endpoints, including conventional endpoints (growth, survival, total emergence, and emergence time) and less conventional endpoints (the size of the adults, swimming abilities and exploration behaviour). For the conventional endpoints, observed effects were either lower than expected or well-predicted by the IA model. In contrast, we found greater than predicted effects of predation cues and temperature in combination with sulfoxaflor on adult size, larval exploration, and swimming behaviour. However, in contrast to the non-conventional endpoints, no conventional endpoints detected interactive effects of the neurotoxic insecticide and the environmental stressors. Acknowledging these interactions, increasing ecological context of ecotoxicological test systems may, therefore, advance environmental risk analysis and interpretation as the safe environmental concentrations of neurotoxic insecticides depend on the context of both the test organism and its environment.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Behaviour, Benthic species, Biomechanical endpoints, Chronic, Ecotoxicity, Multi-stress, Neurotoxin, Sulfoxaflor
in
Aquatic Toxicology
volume
275
article number
107074
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85203014830
  • pmid:39241466
ISSN
0166-445X
DOI
10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107074
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
59a116fc-d6ac-40c8-9996-eaccc13d4dc9
date added to LUP
2024-11-18 09:42:52
date last changed
2025-06-03 01:30:20
@article{59a116fc-d6ac-40c8-9996-eaccc13d4dc9,
  abstract     = {{<p>Evidence grows that standard toxicity testing might underestimate the environmental risk of neurotoxic insecticides. Behavioural endpoints such as locomotion and mobility have been suggested as sensitive and ecologically relevant additions to the standard tested endpoints. Possible interactive effects of chemicals and additional stressors are typically overlooked in standardised testing. Therefore, we aimed to investigate how concurrent exposure to environmental stressors (increased temperature and predation cues) and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-modulating insecticide (‘sulfoxaflor’) impact Chironomus riparius across a range of conventional and non-conventional endpoints. We used a multifactorial experimental design encompassing three stressors, sulfoxaflor (2.0–110 µg/L), predation risk (presence/absence of predatory cues), and elevated temperature (20 °C and 23 °C), yielding a total of 24 distinct treatment conditions. Additional stressors did not change the sensitivity of C. riparius to sulfoxaflor. To assess potential additive effects, we applied an Independent Action (IA) model to predict the impact on eight endpoints, including conventional endpoints (growth, survival, total emergence, and emergence time) and less conventional endpoints (the size of the adults, swimming abilities and exploration behaviour). For the conventional endpoints, observed effects were either lower than expected or well-predicted by the IA model. In contrast, we found greater than predicted effects of predation cues and temperature in combination with sulfoxaflor on adult size, larval exploration, and swimming behaviour. However, in contrast to the non-conventional endpoints, no conventional endpoints detected interactive effects of the neurotoxic insecticide and the environmental stressors. Acknowledging these interactions, increasing ecological context of ecotoxicological test systems may, therefore, advance environmental risk analysis and interpretation as the safe environmental concentrations of neurotoxic insecticides depend on the context of both the test organism and its environment.</p>}},
  author       = {{Rasmussen, Sofie B. and Bosker, Thijs and Barmentlo, S.Henrik H. and Berglund, Olof and Vijver, Martina G.}},
  issn         = {{0166-445X}},
  keywords     = {{Behaviour; Benthic species; Biomechanical endpoints; Chronic; Ecotoxicity; Multi-stress; Neurotoxin; Sulfoxaflor}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Aquatic Toxicology}},
  title        = {{Non-conventional endpoints show higher sulfoxaflor toxicity to Chironomus riparius than conventional endpoints in a multistress environment}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107074}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107074}},
  volume       = {{275}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}