Insecticides

Exposure to imidacloprid during early development induces long-lasting changes in behavior and brain function in mice

We assessed the effects of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid (IMI) in adult male and female mice after in utero and early postnatal exposure. Pregnant mice were infused with IMI (0.5 mg/kg/day) from gestational day 4 to the end of nursing at postnatal day 21. The young adult offspring were studied in a series of biochemical and behavioral tests. To assess reproducibility, the behavioral analyses were conducted in three separate studies using multiple exposed litters. Exposure to IMI reduced fecundity, and in adult offspring, decreased body weight in male but not female pups.

We’re Edging Toward Biological Annihilation

When American entomologist Bradford Lister first visited El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico in 1976, little did he know that a long-term study he was about to embark on would, 40 years later, reveal a “hyperalarming” new reality. In those decades, populations of arthropods, including insects and creepy crawlies like spiders and centipedes, had plunged by an almost unimaginable 98% in El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest within the US National Forest System.

Field-level clothianidin exposure affects bumblebees

Neonicotinoids are implicated in bee declines and laboratory studies imply that they impair the bee immune system, thereby precipitating a rise in pathogen levels. To establish whether such synergisms reduce bee performance in real-world agricultural landscapes, we analysed the microbial composition of the bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) samples from our recent landscape study on the impacts of field-level clothianidin exposure.

Study reveals striking decline of Vermont's bumble bees

A new study examining 100 years of bumble bee records reveals that almost half of Vermont's species, which are vital pollinators, have either vanished or are in serious decline. After conducting the state's most extensive search for bumble bees, and combing through historical records from museum collections, the team has concluded that four of Vermont's 17 bumble bee species appear to have gone extinct. The study, led by University of Vermont (UVM) and Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) researchers, was published in the Journal of Insect Conservation.

Increased use of neonicotinoids elevates prospective risks for U.S. surface waters and biodiversity

Agricultural insecticides occur in U.S. surface waters, yet our knowledge of their current and potential future large-scale risks for biodiversity is restricted. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of measured insecticide concentrations (MICs; n=5817; 1962-2017) in U.S. surface waters and sediments reported in 259 peer-reviewed scientific studies for 32 important insecticide compounds and their degradation products (n=6). To assess overall and substance-specific ecological risks and future implications, MICs were compared with official U.S.

Pestizide sind Hauptursache des Insektensterbens

Auf Einladung des Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) referierte der Insektenforscher Thomas Hörren vom Entomologischen Verein Krefeld (EVK) im Möllner Quellenhof vor 90 Besuchern über deren bahnbrechende Studie zum Thema “Rückgang der Insekten-Biodiversität”. An zahlreichen Standorten ausschließlich in Schutzgebieten hatte der EVK 27 Jahre lang die Insektenfauna untersucht. Aufgrund des enormer Datenbestand und der wissenschaftlichen Methodik waren die Entomologen in der Lage, nicht nur den schleichenden Verlust an Arten, sondern auch an Insekten-Biomasse zu dokumentieren.

Chlorpyrifos: Zulassungsstudie verschwieg offenbar potenzielle Gesundheitsgefahren

Umstrittenes Pestizid: Bei der Zulassung des umstrittenen Pflanzenschutzmittels Chlorpyrifos sind offenbar gravierende Fehler passiert. Denn wie sich nun herausstellt, haben die Behörden für ihr Bewertungsverfahren eine fragwürdige Studie akzeptiert. Die von der Industrie finanzierte Untersuchung wies bei dem Mittel demnach deutliche Effekte auf die Gehirnentwicklung von ungeborenen Ratten nach - verschwieg dieses Ergebnis jedoch. Dies stellt nach Ansicht der Forscher nun die grundsätzliche Sicherheit des europäischen Zulassungsverfahrens in Frage.

Oorzaken van de achteruitgang van natuur en landschap in Noordoost Twente

N.a.v. de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 21 maart 2018 informeerde de werkgroep Behoud Twents Landschap de Twentse bevolking over de stand van zaken van natuur en landschap in Noordoost Twente. Hieronder een aantal feiten en constateringen:

1. Hoogleraar Siepel: ‘Twentse bodemfauna zo dood als een pier’

De bodemfauna op het platteland in Twente is nagenoeg verdwenen. Dat zegt Henk Siepel, hoogleraar dierecologie aan de Radboud Universiteit. “Het ziet er groen uit, maar het is zo dood als een pier.”

2. Onze insecten sterven massaal.

Neonicotinoids may make young wood frogs more vulnerable to predators

Neonicotinoids are widely known for their link to declining pollinator populations, but new research finds that the ill effects of these chemicals also extends to amphibian populations. In a study published late last month, scientists from the National Wildlife Research Center in Ottawa, Canada found that chronic exposure to real-world levels of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid limits the ability of juvenile wood frogs to escape a predator attack. This research adds additional evidence that neonicotinoids are harming aquatic food chains.