Toxicity of imidacloprid to the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber (Isopoda, Crustacea)

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2008-04, Vol.71 (7), p.1326-1334
• Main Authors: Drobne, Damjana, Blažič, Mateja, Van Gestel, Cornelis A.M., Lešer, Vladka, Zidar, Primož, Jemec, Anita, Trebše, Polonca
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal Feed; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Crustacea; Digestive gland epithelium; Digestive System - drug effects; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Environmental risk characterization; Epithelium - drug effects; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Glutathione S-transferase; Glutathione Transferase - metabolism; Hepatopancreas - drug effects; Imidazoles - toxicity; Insecticides - toxicity; Isopoda; Isopoda - drug effects; Isopoda - enzymology; Isopoda - metabolism; Lethal Dose 50; Neonicotinoids; Nitro Compounds - toxicity; No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; Porcellio scaber; Risk Assessment; Risk quotient; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Synecology; Terrestrial ecosystems; Toxicity testing; Toxicity Tests
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2007.11.042

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide with neurotoxic action that, as a possible alternative for commonly used organophosphorus pesticides, has gained registration in about 120 countries for use in over 140 agricultural crops. Only few data are available on its toxicity for soil invertebrates. We therefore assessed the effects of imidacloprid on survival, weight gain, feeding rate, total protein content, glutathione S-transferase activity (GST), and digestive gland epithelial thickness in juveniles and adults of the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber. After two weeks of feeding on imidacloprid-dosed food, weight gain (NOEC 5μg/g dry food) and feeding rate (NOEC 10μg/g) in juveniles, and feeding rate (NOEC