{"id":29043,"date":"2021-04-08T00:01:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T04:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=29043"},"modified":"2022-04-27T09:20:41","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T13:20:41","slug":"invertebrates-and-plants-face-increasing-threat-from-pesticides-use-despite-declining-chemical-use-patterns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2021\/04\/invertebrates-and-plants-face-increasing-threat-from-pesticides-use-despite-declining-chemical-use-patterns\/","title":{"rendered":"Invertebrates and Plants Face Increasing Threat from Pesticide Use, Despite Declining Chemical Use Patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, April 8, 2021) Pesticide use threatens aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and plants more than ever, despite declining chemical use and implementation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the U.S., according to a University Koblenz-Landau, Germany<\/a>\u00a0study. Since the publication of Rachel Carson’s\u00a0Silent Spring<\/em>\u00a0(1962), many environmental agencies have banned the use of pesticides like organochlorines, organophosphates, and carbamates for their devastating toxic\u2014sometimes lethal\u2014effects, particularly on vertebrates, including humans. However, this ban created a pathway for a new generation of pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoids, pyrethroids) to take hold. Although these pesticides are more target-specific, requiring lower chemical concentrations for effectiveness, they have over double the toxic effects on invertebrates, like pollinators.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Invertebrates and plants are vital for ecosystem function, offering various services, from decomposition to supporting the food web. Furthermore, invertebrates and plants can act as\u00a0indicator species<\/a>\u00a0(bioindicators) that scientists can observe for the presence and impact of environmental changes and stressors. Therefore, reductions in invertebrate and plant life have implications for ecosystem health that can put human well-being at risk. Study lead author Ralf Schulz, PH.D., notes<\/a>, \u201c[This study] challenge[s] the claims of decreasing environmental impact of chemical pesticides in both conventional and GM [genetically modified or genetically engineered (GE)] crops and call for action to reduce the pesticide toxicity applied in agriculture worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Study researchers used data from the U.S. Geological Survey to determine national pesticides use by U.S. farmers over 25 years (1992 to 2016). To assess pesticide toxicity, researchers used U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data on species-specific toxicology thresholds. Lastly, researchers compared the species-specific toxicology threshold data, a calculation for the point at which a substance might harm vegetation or wildlife, to the amount of real-world pesticide concentration on farms.<\/p>\n

The study results find a decrease in total pesticide amounts by volume on U.S. farms by 40 percent over the last 25 years. Although bird and mammal toxicity decreases with a reduction in pesticide use (95 percent), invertebrates experience higher toxicity levels. Pyrethroid insecticides cause toxicity to double among aquatic invertebrates. Neonicotinoid insecticides present double the risk to terrestrial invertebrates. Overall, pesticide toxicity for terrestrial plants is highest regardless of whether fields are conventional, non-GE, or GE.<\/p>\n

Pesticide residues readily contaminate all ecosystems and are prevalent in\u00a0soils<\/a>, water (solid<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0liquid<\/a>), and the surrounding\u00a0air<\/a>. Scientific literature demonstrates pesticides\u2019 long history of adverse effects to the environment, including\u00a0wildlife<\/a>,\u00a0biodiversity<\/a>, and\u00a0human health<\/a>\u00a0effects. However, many of these chemicals are older classifications that are more stable and promptly accumulate in the environment and animal tissue. Organophosphates and carbamates impact\u00a0immune and metabolic<\/a>\u00a0function among vertebrates as their mode of action inhibits acetylcholinesterase enzyme activation. Organochlorines induce similar effects on vertebrates\u2019 immune and metabolic systems, but their mechanisms driving mode of action are poorly understood. These pesticides can bioaccumulate and produce severe toxicity outcomes among vertebrates. Therefore, many of these chemicals are phasing out from both commercial and industrial use. However, there is a misconception that the \u201cnewer generation\u201d<\/a>\u00a0of chemicals, including pyrethroids, sulfoxaflor, fipronil, and\u00a0neonicotinoids\u00a0(neonics), are safer. These insecticides are fast-acting, with quick breakdown times, thus less likely to readily accumulate. However, studies find lower concentrations of these chemicals are more toxic than their older counterparts, requiring several kilograms less. These pesticides can promote higher sublethal toxicity levels, which can cause chronic effects on species abundance and biodiversity.<\/p>\n

Some invertebrates are the victims of\u00a0global insect apocalypse<\/a>\u00a0or population decline, wiping out roughly a\u00a0quarter<\/a>\u00a0of the population since 1990. Much research attributes the recent population reduction to several factors, including pesticide exposure.\u00a0<\/em>Broad-spectrum pesticides indiscriminately kill pests and nontarget organisms alike. Because many nontarget invertebrates and plants share the same physiological features as pests that insecticides and herbicides target, exposure can be disastrous. The sublethal effects of insecticides on non-target organisms are evident. Research shows long-term\u00a0neonic<\/a>\u00a0exposure on some social insects (e.g., bees,\u00a0butterflies<\/a>) impacts foraging behavior,\u00a0learning<\/a>, orientation, memory abilities, immune functions,\u00a0growth and development<\/a>,\u00a0sleep<\/a>,\u00a0colony growth, and reproduction<\/a>.\u00a0Sulfoxaflor<\/a>\u00a0acts similarity to neonic toxicity.\u00a0Pyrethroids<\/a>\u00a0are widely detectable in bee pollen and impair bee learning and foraging, bee fecundity,\u00a0butterfly larvae<\/a>, and bee developmental rate.\u00a0Fipronil<\/a>\u00a0is highly toxic to most, if not all, insects and can reduce behavioral function and learning performances in honey bees. Considering EPA\u00a0recognizes<\/a>\u00a0that pesticides are a risk to pollinators, preventing exposure is essential in avoiding the consequences of insect decline.<\/p>\n

A majority of studies detailing the sublethal effects of pesticides focus on pollinators due to their economic and environmental importance. However, pesticides adversely impact the health and nutritional quality of other\u00a0beneficial<\/a>\u00a0terrestrial and aquatic organisms. A University of Bern, Switzerland\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0finds that long-term exposure to sublethal (low-level) concentrations of the neonics in soil negatively affects the health and behavioral development of black garden ants colonies. Furthermore, other\u00a0studies<\/a>\u00a0find pesticides also adversely affect the health of earthworms that provide essential\u00a0ecosystem services<\/a>\u00a0by aerating the soil, cycling nutrients, and increasing microbial activity. Although insecticides are best known for their hazardous impacts on terrestrial invertebrate populations, it is becoming increasingly clear that the entire food chain is at risk from continuous use. Reports regularly detect pesticides in the\u00a0nation\u2019s waterways<\/a>, and\u00a0some concentrations<\/a>\u00a0exceed acute and chronic toxicity values for sensitive organisms. Imidacloprid exposure (a neonic) can adversely impact the health of\u00a0shrimp, oysters<\/a>, and other benthic invertebrates, resulting in population decline. Exposure to low levels of bifenthrin<\/a> (a pyrethroid) can impact future generations<\/a> of major commercial fish, despite future generations having no direct exposure to the chemicals. Moreover, pesticides can interact with chemicals in water from other sources, such as road salts, working together or synergizing to produce a more severe combined effect.\u00a0Synergism<\/a>\u00a0is a common issue among pesticide mixtures and a failure to account for this can result in an underestimation of the toxic impacts on human, animal, and environmental health. As a result of risks to aquatic organisms, the Canadian pesticide regulatory agency has\u00a0recommended banning imidacloprid<\/a>\u00a0which\u00a0EPA<\/a>\u00a0is hesitant to implement.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This study demonstrates that reducing the number of pesticides in the ecosystem does not indicate that an ecosystem is improving. The study results find a pivot toward pyrethroid and neonicotinoid use is responsible for invertebrate and plant population decline. However, this does not mean older chemicals do not affect invertebrates.\u00a0Organophosphates<\/a>\u00a0are still widely available for use, especially for mosquito control and in agriculture and lawn care. Organophosphates commonly used in mosquito control programs, like malathion and naled, put bee health at risk. Both are highly toxic to bees, and other nontarget organisms, with reports of bee kills from Ultra-low volume (ULV) mosquito spraying. Furthermore, organophosphates can also impact\u00a0aquatic communities<\/a>, inducing toxicity among benthic organisms, like zooplankton, that are foundational to the food web structure.<\/p>\n

Toxicity from herbicides is now double what it was in 2004, according to the study. Glyphosate is the main contributor to plant toxicity. The chemical’s use has been increasing since the inception of crops genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate. Genetically engineered crops pose an issue for pesticide use and species health and abundance. Resistance to pesticides is growing at similar rates among GE and non-GE conventionally grown crops. This increase in resistance is evident among\u00a0herbicide-tolerant<\/a>\u00a0GE crops or GE crops containing\u00a0plant-incorporated protectant<\/a>\u00a0(PIP)\u00a0<\/em>like\u00a0Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).<\/em>\u00a0Although one purpose of GE crops is to reduce pesticide use, an increase in resistance can result in additional pesticide use to compensate. However, overuse escalates toxic exposure to organisms that frequent or remain in these habitats, as well as nearby wild plants.<\/p>\n

Although this study finds birds and mammals are experiencing less toxicity from current pesticide use, they are not safe from chemical consequences. Pesticide exposure patterns, including dietary exposure, co-exposure, and cumulative effects, put these species at risk. Pyrethroids are\u00a0highly toxic<\/a>\u00a0to cats whose liver cannot process these chemicals, triggering seizures, tremors, muscle spasms that can lead to death. EPA\u2019s\u00a0preliminary ecological (non-pollinator) assessments<\/a>\u00a0for the neonicotinoids find that these pesticides pose both acute and chronic risks to aquatic life and birds. Furthermore, exposure to neonics can disrupt the energy-intensive metabolism of\u00a0hummingbirds<\/a>, even for a short period.<\/p>\n

Just as residues from foliar spray adversely impact species health, so do pesticide-treated seeds. Most corn, soybeans, and other food crop seeds are pesticides-treated. These seeds have implications for\u00a0birds<\/a>\u00a0who consume coated seeds. Compounds from neonic-coated grain accumulate in birds and reduce their chances of survival in the wild through sublethal impacts (weight reduction, travel delays, and a reduction in reproductive success). EPA\u00a0finds<\/a>\u00a0that 1-5 seeds of treated corn cause acute to chronic levels of harm to large and small birds alike. EPA states, \u201cDietary exposures from clothianidin treated seeds are noted to result in the highest acute and chronic risks from the terrestrial risk assessment to birds and mammals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, some common-use pesticides (e.g., neonics) are systemic, meaning plant roots and leaves uptake the chemical. With every type of use, the chemicals work their way into plants, pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets. Both vertebrates (e.g., birds, bats) and invertebrates (e.g., bees, butterflies) encounter indiscriminate exposure during foraging. However, these pesticides do not stay contained to plants, as chemicals can invade soil and surrounding waterways, causing indiscriminate poisoning and contamination.<\/p>\n

As a result of this study, scientists outside this research study, including John Tooker, Ph.D. entomologist at Penn State, caution against continuous pesticide use. Dr. Tooker concludes<\/a>, \u201cThe patterns in the US pesticide use and toxicity data should be a cautionary tale for the rest of the world, much of which seems to be leaning more heavily on pesticide use rather than ecological interactions for pest control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chemical contamination is ubiquitous in terrestrial and marine environments, causing severe adverse effects to all species, especially invertebrates, that can span\u00a0generations<\/a>.\u00a0Monarchs are near extinction<\/a>, and\u00a0beekeepers continue to experience declines<\/a>\u00a0that are putting them out of business. We\u00a0continue to lose mayflies<\/a>\u00a0and fireflies<\/a>, the foundation of so many food chains. Reducing the number of pesticides in our environment can safeguard insects, human, animal, and ecosystem health alike.<\/p>\n

To prevent a future void of vital invertebrate and plant species critical to biodiversity and food production, global leaders must examine the necessity of pesticide use. More than ever, individuals must connect with their local, state, and federal elected officials to\u00a0demand that we protect insect populations<\/a>. Now, grassroots advocacy groups in\u00a0Connecticut<\/a>, and\u00a0Maryland<\/a>, in addition to\u00a0dozens of local groups<\/a>, collaborate to create lasting positive changes to pollinator protection policies. Solutions like\u00a0regenerative organic agriculture<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0organic land management<\/a>\u00a0curtail the need for toxic pesticide use as these practices warrant similar or better results than chemical-intensive ones. Learn more about the\u00a0science<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0resources<\/a>\u00a0behind pesticides\u2019 pollinator impact and\u00a0take action against<\/a>\u00a0the use of pesticides. To find out more about\u00a0what you can do<\/a>\u00a0to protect insects, check out information on\u00a0pollinator-friendly landscapes<\/a>,\u00a0pollinator-friendly seeds<\/a>. For more information on the insect apocalypse, see Beyond Pesticides article in our Pesticides and You newsletter,\u00a0Tracking Biodiversity: Study Cites Insect Extinction and Ecological Collapse<\/a>. Furthermore, learn more about the dangers pesticides pose to most wildlife on\u00a0Beyond Pesticides\u2019 Wildlife page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.<\/em><\/p>\n

Source: Eurasia Review<\/a>, ScienceMag<\/a>, Science <\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, April 8, 2021) Pesticide use threatens aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and plants more than ever, despite declining chemical use and implementation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the U.S., according to a University Koblenz-Landau, Germany\u00a0study. Since the publication of Rachel Carson’s\u00a0Silent Spring\u00a0(1962), many environmental agencies have banned the use of pesticides like organochlorines, organophosphates, and carbamates for their devastating toxic\u2014sometimes lethal\u2014effects, particularly on vertebrates, including humans. However, this ban created a pathway for a new generation of pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoids, pyrethroids) to take hold. Although these pesticides are more target-specific, requiring lower chemical concentrations for effectiveness, they have over double the toxic effects on invertebrates, like pollinators.\u00a0 Invertebrates and plants are vital for ecosystem function, offering various services, from decomposition to supporting the food web. Furthermore, invertebrates and plants can act as\u00a0indicator species\u00a0(bioindicators) that scientists can observe for the presence and impact of environmental changes and stressors. Therefore, reductions in invertebrate and plant life have implications for ecosystem health that can put human well-being at risk. Study lead author Ralf Schulz, PH.D., notes, \u201c[This study] challenge[s] the claims of decreasing environmental impact of chemical pesticides in both conventional and GM [genetically modified or genetically engineered (GE)] crops and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,2,348,352,328,93,530,378,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","category-alternativesorganics","category-beneficials","category-biodiversity","category-neonicotinoids","category-pollinators","category-pyrethroids","category-synthetic-pyrethroids","category-wildlifeenvironment"],"yoast_head":"\nInvertebrates and Plants Face Increasing Threat from Pesticide Use, Despite Declining Chemical Use Patterns - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2021\/04\/invertebrates-and-plants-face-increasing-threat-from-pesticides-use-despite-declining-chemical-use-patterns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Invertebrates and Plants Face Increasing Threat from Pesticide Use, Despite Declining Chemical Use Patterns - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Beyond Pesticides, April 8, 2021) Pesticide use threatens aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates and plants more than ever, despite declining chemical use and implementation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the U.S., according to a University Koblenz-Landau, Germany\u00a0study. Since the publication of Rachel Carson’s\u00a0Silent Spring\u00a0(1962), many environmental agencies have banned the use of pesticides like organochlorines, organophosphates, and carbamates for their devastating toxic\u2014sometimes lethal\u2014effects, particularly on vertebrates, including humans. However, this ban created a pathway for a new generation of pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoids, pyrethroids) to take hold. Although these pesticides are more target-specific, requiring lower chemical concentrations for effectiveness, they have over double the toxic effects on invertebrates, like pollinators.\u00a0 Invertebrates and plants are vital for ecosystem function, offering various services, from decomposition to supporting the food web. Furthermore, invertebrates and plants can act as\u00a0indicator species\u00a0(bioindicators) that scientists can observe for the presence and impact of environmental changes and stressors. Therefore, reductions in invertebrate and plant life have implications for ecosystem health that can put human well-being at risk. 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The founders, who established Beyond Pesticides (originally as National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides) as a nonprofit membership organization in 1981, felt that without the existence of such an organized, national network, local, state and national pesticide policy would become, under chemical industry pressure, increasingly unresponsive to public health and environmental concerns. Beyond Pesticides believes that people must have a voice in decisions that affect them directly. We believe decisions should not be made for us by chemical companies or by decision-makers who either do not have all of the facts or refuse to consider them. Learn more about our work, read A Year in Review\u20142021, our accomplishments are your victories! Beyond Pesticides seeks to protect healthy air, water, land, and food for ourselves and future generations. 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Since the publication of Rachel Carson’s\u00a0Silent Spring\u00a0(1962), many environmental agencies have banned the use of pesticides like organochlorines, organophosphates, and carbamates for their devastating toxic\u2014sometimes lethal\u2014effects, particularly on vertebrates, including humans. However, this ban created a pathway for a new generation of pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoids, pyrethroids) to take hold. Although these pesticides are more target-specific, requiring lower chemical concentrations for effectiveness, they have over double the toxic effects on invertebrates, like pollinators.\u00a0 Invertebrates and plants are vital for ecosystem function, offering various services, from decomposition to supporting the food web. Furthermore, invertebrates and plants can act as\u00a0indicator species\u00a0(bioindicators) that scientists can observe for the presence and impact of environmental changes and stressors. 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