RESUMEN
Wetlands play a crucial role in providing valuable ecosystem services, including the removal of various pollutants. In agricultural basins, wetlands are exposed to agrochemical loads. This study aims to assess the attenuation effect of the ubiquitous macrophyte Azolla spp. on the toxicity of lambda-cyhalothrin to sensitive aquatic organisms. An indoor mesocosm experiment was conducted to compare the concentration of lambda-cyhalothrin at different time points after pesticide application in vegetated and unvegetated treatments, including a control without pesticide addition. Toxicity tests were performed throughout the experiment on three organisms: a fish (Cnesterodon decemmaculatus), a macroinvertebrate (Hyalella curvispina), and an amphibian (Boana pulchella). The results demonstrated that lambda-cyhalothrin concentration and toxicity in water were significantly lower in the Azolla spp. treatment. Furthermore, the half-life of lambda-cyhalothrin decreased from 1.2 days in the unvegetated treatment to 0.4 days in the vegetated treatment. The vegetated treatment also resulted in a significantly lower mortality rate for both H. curvispina and C. decemmaculatus. However, no mortality was observed in B. pulchella for any of the treatments. Sublethal effects were observed in this organism, such as lateral bending of the tail and impairment of the ability to swim, which were attenuated in the vegetated treatment. We conclude that Azolla spp. can effectively reduce the concentration and toxicity of lambda-cyhalothrin, suggesting its potential use in farm-scale best management practices to mitigate the effects of pesticide loads from adjacent crops.
Asunto(s)
Organismos Acuáticos , Nitrilos , Piretrinas , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua , Piretrinas/toxicidad , Nitrilos/toxicidad , Animales , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Organismos Acuáticos/efectos de los fármacos , Humedales , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Peces/fisiología , Anfípodos/efectos de los fármacos , Anfípodos/fisiologíaRESUMEN
In recent decades agriculture has intensified in the Argentine Pampa, and pesticide application has also increased. Livestock fields, although being progressively replaced by crops, are still commonly interspersed with crop fields. The objective of the present work is to assess the effects of land use on the benthic invertebrate assemblages of streams in the main Argentine agricultural region. Two areas were sampled during the 2011/12 growing season (November-March): Arrecifes, a homogeneous intensively cultivated area, and La Plata, a heterogeneous area of mixed livestock pasture, cropland and biological reserve. Nutrient concentrations in water were significantly higher in the streams surrounded by cropland. Measured pesticides in stream sediments were those most commonly used in crop production: chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, endosulfan and its degradation product endosulfan sulfate. Detection frequency and pesticide concentrations were generally higher in streams surrounded by cropland than in streams surrounded by pasture or reserve. Macroinvertebrate assemblages were significantly different in streams with different land uses. Palaemonidae (Decapoda) and Caenidae (Ephemeroptera) were the taxa best represented in the reserve. Hyalellidae (Amphipoda) and Hirudinea were dominant at the streams surrounded by livestock fields. Within the streams surrounded by croplands, Oligochaeta and Hirudinea were best represented in La Plata while Chironomidae, Gastropoda and Oligochaeta were dominant at Arrecifes. Present evidence suggests that agrochemical applications contribute, in combination with other environmental variables, to the observed differences in macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams of different land use.
Asunto(s)
Monitoreo del Ambiente , Plaguicidas , Agricultura , Animales , Argentina , Ecosistema , Invertebrados , Plaguicidas/análisisRESUMEN
The present study reported the effect of natural and anthropic environmental variables on the fish assemblages in the pampean streams, in the coastal strip along the Río de la Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Five streams were sampled at 12 sites surrounded by land devoted to different uses. A correspondence analysis sorted the streams into two groups: a less impacted group formed by sites surrounded by livestock- raising pastures and a more impacted one passing through urban sites and including a stream adjacent to a modest rural urbanization with a dairy in the stream's basin. The nutrient concentrations were significantly higher in the more impacted group; with species richness, diversity, abundance, and biomass being significantly lower. A canonical-correspondence analysis linked the more impacted sites to high concentrations of soluble reactive phosphorus and impoverished fish assemblages, composed of species tolerant to environmental pollution. On the other hand, sites with higher oxygen concentrations and pH were related to richer assemblages pointing to good environmental conditions at the sites surrounded by livestock-raising pastures. The downstream sites on the less impacted streams contained fish assemblages in which the juvenile stages of species corresponding to the Río de la Plata were dominant.
Asunto(s)
Biodiversidad , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Peces/clasificación , Animales , Argentina , Almacenamiento de Alimentos , RíosRESUMEN
Pyrethroids are among the most widely applied insecticides worldwide and cypermethrin is the pyrethroid most used in Argentina. Pesticides used in crops can reach adjacent watercourses through runoff and may lead to non-target fauna receiving toxic pulse exposures. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of cypermethrin pulse exposures on the widely distributed crustacean Simocephalus vetulus. The 48h-LC50 of cypermethrin for S. vetulus was determined at 0.18 ± 0.09 µg/L. To assess the effects of cypermethrin under environmentally realistic exposures, two experiments were performed. In the first one, specimens were exposed for 90 min to cypermethrin at 0.02 (T1), 0.2 (T2) and 1 µg/L (T3), transferred to clean water and monitored for 24 h as regards survival and feeding rates; specimens exposed to T2 and T3 concentrations showed significant lower feeding rates than those in the control group. In the second experiment, specimens were exposed for 90 min every 7 days and monitored over 25 days; S. vetulus showed lower cumulative fecundity and reproduction rates at all concentrations tested, and lower population growth at the highest concentration. All exposure concentrations lay within reported environmental concentrations and risk assessment indicated risk (RQ > 1), suggesting that sensitive species would be affected by such pulse exposures of cypermethrin. The present study thus suggests that ongoing agricultural practices affect the non-target invertebrates in streams adjacent to crops.
Asunto(s)
Cladóceros/efectos de los fármacos , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Piretrinas/toxicidad , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Animales , Argentina , RíosRESUMEN
Agriculture intensification in Argentina has increased agrochemicals consumption in the last decades and might represent an environmental risk for adjacent water bodies. The objective of the present work was to assess the effect of land use on water quality and invertebrate assemblages in the Argentine Pampas streams. Eight streams were sampled on 4 occasions during the 2013/14 growing season. Three streams are located within a biosphere reserve, two drain basins with extensive livestock fields, and three run through intensively cultivated plots; one of them contained a 30m wide uncultivated grass-covered strip between the crop and the stream. Macroinvertebrates were sampled from emergent vegetation by means of a D-net with a 500µm pore size, and 30cm diameter. Higher nutrient concentrations were measured in the agricultural streams. Endosulfan was measured in sediments of the agricultural streams, concentrations being significantly lower in the stream with the buffer strip. Invertebrate assemblages in the cropped streams were significantly different from those in the livestock and reserve streams, those in the latter not being different from each other. Ampullaridae (Pomacea canaliculata) and Planorbidae (Biomophalaria peregrina) were the taxa best represented in the agricultural streams. Hyalellidae (Hyalella curvispina), Zygoptera and Planorbidae (B. peregrina) were the taxa best represented in the reserve and livestock streams. Present evidence suggests that the observed differences in the invertebrate composition in the agricultural streams were related with the impact of agrochemicals and that buffer strips represent a useful attenuation practice. Cattle breeding on natural pastures represented a land use with low impact on the invertebrate assemblages.
Asunto(s)
Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Invertebrados/efectos de los fármacos , Ríos/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Agricultura , Animales , Argentina , Ecosistema , Ganado , Estaciones del Año , Calidad del AguaRESUMEN
Agriculture and livestock may contribute to water quality degradation in adjacent waterbodies and produce changes in the resident invertebrate composition. The objective of the present study was to assess land use effects on the stream invertebrate assemblages in rural areas of the Argentine Pampa. The four sampling events were performed at six sites in four streams of the Pampa plain; two streams were sampled inside a biosphere reserve, and another one was surrounded by extensive livestock fields. The fourth stream was sampled at three sites; the upstream site was adjacent to agricultural plots, the following site was adjacent to an intensive livestock plot and the downstream site was adjacent to extensive breeding cattle plots. Higher pesticide concentrations were found at the site adjacent to agricultural plots and higher nutrient concentrations at the sites adjacent to agricultural and intensive breeding cattle plots. The invertebrate fauna were also different at these sites. Multivariate analysis showed a relationship between nutrient concentrations and taxonomic composition. Amphipoda (Hyalella curvispina) was the dominant group in the reserve and extensive breeding cattle sites, but was not present in the agricultural site. Also, Chironomidae were absent from the agricultural site while present at other sites. Gasteropoda (Biomphalaria peregrina), Zygoptera, and Hirudinea were dominant at the most impacted agricultural and intensive breeding cattle sites.
Asunto(s)
Agricultura , Organismos Acuáticos , Invertebrados , Ríos , Calidad del Agua , Anfípodos , Animales , Argentina , Bovinos , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Ganado , Plaguicidas/análisisRESUMEN
Toxicity persistence to the nontarget amphipod Hyalella curvispina in runoff events following chlorpyrifos applications to soy experimental plots was compared in conventional and no-till management. Two application scenarios were compared: an early-season application with the soil almost bare and a late-season application after the foliage had attained complete soil cover. H. curvispina was exposed to chlorpyrifos using two different test systems: a short-term (48 h) runoff water exposure and a long-term (10 days) soil exposure. Both commonly used crop management practices for soybean production resulted in runoff toxicity following pesticide applications and represent a toxicity risk for adjacent inland waters. Toxicity persistence was longer after the earlier than the late season application, likely because of higher volatilization and photodecomposition losses from the soy canopy than from the soil. For the early-season application, toxicity persisted longer in the no-till plots than in the conventional tillage plots. Suspended matter was higher in the conventional treatment. Chlorpyrifos sorption to suspended matter likely contributed to the shorter persistence. For the late-season application, toxicity persisted longer in the conventional treatment. The causes remain conjectural. The soil organic carbon content was higher in the no-till treatment. Sorption to organic matter might have contributed to the shorter chlorpyrifos toxicity persistence in no-till management. Late applications are more frequent and prevail longer throughout the soy growing season. Overall, the no-till management practice seems preferably because shorter toxicity persistence in runoff represents a lower environmental risk for the adjacent inland waters.
Asunto(s)
Agricultura/métodos , Cloropirifos/toxicidad , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Anfípodos , Animales , Cloropirifos/análisis , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Glycine max , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisisRESUMEN
Pesticide consumption in Argentina has steadily increased over the last two decades, while one of these compounds, namely endosulfan, is commonly found in environmental samples. Also the fish Cnesterodon decemmaculatus and the amphipod Hyalella curvispina are widely distributed in agricultural areas of southern South America. The aim of the present contribution was therefore to determine the acute toxicity of endosulfan to both organisms, and compare it with species sensitivity distributions (SSD) and measured field concentrations. The 48 h-LC50 (with 95 % confidence limits) were 1.8 (1.6-2.1) µg/L for C. decemmaculatus and 16.4 (15.1-17.7) µg/L for H. curvispina. C. decemmaculatus was more sensitive than 74 % of fish based on the SSD. Endosulfan concentrations in stream water reported in the literature were often higher than the C. decemmaculatus LC50. It may hence be concluded that C. decemmaculatus is a suitable sentinel organism for ecotoxicological risk assessment in South America.
Asunto(s)
Anfípodos/efectos de los fármacos , Ciprinodontiformes , Endosulfano/toxicidad , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Animales , Endosulfano/análisis , Insecticidas/análisis , Dosificación Letal Mediana , Medición de Riesgo , Ríos/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisisRESUMEN
Chlorpyrifos is the most used insecticide in Argentina. Cnesterodon decemmaculatus is a widely distributed, endemic fish from Neotropical America. It attains high densities in the shallow water assemblages of Argentina and Brazil. The aim of this study was to assess the acute toxicity of chlorpyrifos to C. decemmaculatus. The mean 96-h LC50 of three independent determinations was 105.3 (± 3.1) µg/L. Sublethal effects were observed. Swimming behavioral changes at each chlorpyrifos exposure concentration were reported. C. decemmaculatus represents a good model for ecotoxicological risk assessment.
Asunto(s)
Cloropirifos/toxicidad , Ciprinodontiformes/metabolismo , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Animales , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Femenino , Dosificación Letal Mediana , Masculino , NataciónRESUMEN
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of land use on nutrient concentrations in a Pampasic stream. Soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations in the stream were higher at a site surrounded by fertilized double-cropped wheat/soybeans than at unfertilized soybeans plots. Nitrate and SRP concentrations in the stream were lower at sites surrounded by soybeans than livestock. It is suggested that crop fertilization and cattle manure increased nutrients loads released to the stream. It is suggested that preservation and restoration of riparian habitats may benefit water quality by decreasing nutrient loads.
Asunto(s)
Monitoreo del Ambiente , Nitrógeno/análisis , Fósforo/análisis , Ríos/química , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/análisis , Agricultura , ArgentinaRESUMEN
The acute toxicity of cypermethrin to the amphipod Hyalella curvispina was evaluated by means of a toxicity test under laboratory conditions. Cypermethrin is one of the most widely used insecticides in Argentina. H. curvispina is a widely distributed and commonly abundant component of the invertebrate assemblages in shallow waters of southern South America. The experiments were repeated three times. The mean 48-h LC(50) value for H. curvispina was estimated at 0.066µg/l. H. curvispina represents a good model for exotoxicological risk assessment.
Asunto(s)
Anfípodos/efectos de los fármacos , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Piretrinas/toxicidad , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Animales , Dosificación Letal Mediana , Medición de Riesgo/métodos , Pruebas de Toxicidad AgudaRESUMEN
Persistence of toxicity in runoff water and soil was investigated in experimental soybean plots subjected to successive runoff events following pesticide application. Runoff events were produced by irrigation using a sprinkler system. The pesticides applied were cypermethrin and endosulfan, which are widely used in soy production in Argentina. Toxicity tests were performed on two abundant components of the regional fauna, the amphipod Hyalella curvispina and the fish Cnesterodon decemmaculatus. Runoffs from two pesticide applications were assayed at different stages of the growing season: an early application when the soil was almost bare and a late one close to harvest, when the ground was covered by vegetation and just before soy leaves fell. Toxicity to H. curvispina in runoff ceased almost one month after the early application of the two pesticides, while it persisted for over three months after the late application. Soil toxicity to H. curvispina and runoff toxicity to C. decemmaculatus followed the same pattern. Higher temperatures and solar radiation are likely to have enhanced insecticide degradation after the early application. Lower temperatures and solar radiation in combination with increased organic matter from litter probably contributed to the longer persistence of toxicity recorded after the late application, as compared with the early application. Cypermethrin caused no mortality to C. decemmaculatus after the early application, while endosulfan toxicity persisted for almost four months after the late one.
Asunto(s)
Anfípodos/efectos de los fármacos , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Animales , Endosulfano/toxicidad , Peces , Piretrinas/toxicidad , Glycine max/crecimiento & desarrolloRESUMEN
Toxicity persistence in runoff water and soil was studied in experimental soybean plots in successive runoff events produced by an irrigation system. Three chlorpyrifos applications throughout the growing period were assayed. Runoff and soil toxicity to the amphipod Hyalella curvispina and the fish Cnesterodon decemmaculatus was assessed. Toxicity persistence to H. curvispina was shorter in the early and midseason applications (23-28 and 21-69 days in runoff and soil, respectively) and longer in the late application (more than 140 days). The same trend was observed for C. decemmaculatus: 13 days for early and 56 for the late application.
Asunto(s)
Agricultura , Cloropirifos/toxicidad , Insecticidas/toxicidad , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Anfípodos , Animales , Monitoreo del Ambiente , Glycine maxRESUMEN
Argentina is the second largest world producer of soybeans (after the USA) and along with the increase in planted surface and production in the country, glyphosate consumption has grown in the same way. We investigated the effects of Roundup (glyphosate formulation) on the periphyton colonization. The experiment was carried out over 42 days in ten outdoor mesocosms of different typology: "clear" waters with aquatic macrophytes and/or metaphyton and "turbid" waters with great occurrence of phytoplankton or suspended inorganic matter. The herbicide was added at 8 mg L(-1) of the active ingredient (glyphosate) in five mesocosms while five were left as controls (without Roundup addition). The estimate of the dissipation rate (k) of glyphosate showed a half-life value of 4.2 days. Total phosphorus significantly increased in treated mesocosms due to Roundup degradation what favored eutrophication process. Roundup produced a clear delay in periphytic colonization in treated mesocosms and values of the periphytic mass variables (dry weight, ash-free dry weight and chlorophyll a) were always higher in control mesocosms. Despite the mortality of algae, mainly diatoms, cyanobacteria was favored in treated mesocosms. It was observed that glyphosate produced a long term shift in the typology of mesocosms, "clear" turning to "turbid", which is consistent with the regional trend in shallow lakes in the Pampa plain of Argentina. Based on our findings it is clear that agricultural practices that involve the use of herbicides such as Roundup affect non-target organisms and the water quality, modifying the structure and functionality of freshwater ecosystems.
Asunto(s)
Ecosistema , Eucariontes/efectos de los fármacos , Agua Dulce/química , Glicina/análogos & derivados , Herbicidas/toxicidad , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/toxicidad , Argentina , Biomasa , Clorofila/metabolismo , Clorofila A , Cianobacterias/efectos de los fármacos , Cianobacterias/crecimiento & desarrollo , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Eucariontes/crecimiento & desarrollo , Eucariontes/metabolismo , Eutrofización , Glicina/metabolismo , Glicina/toxicidad , Herbicidas/metabolismo , Fósforo/metabolismo , Medición de Riesgo , Factores de Tiempo , Contaminantes Químicos del Agua/metabolismo , GlifosatoRESUMEN
The impact of biotech-soybean technology on freshwater ecosystems is being evaluated in the Rolling Pampas region, Argentina. The effect of cypermethrin, the main soybean insecticide, on low-order temperate-stream fish populations was investigated for two consecutive crop cycles under field-use conditions in biotech-soybean production. Cypermethrin was unable to induce mortality or behavioral effects on any of the fish species resident in a first-order stream across a crop field (pulsed acute exposure scenario) sprayed according to conventional practices. No spatially or temporally dependent effects were observed on population parameters (size-class structure, abundance, survival, sex and immature/mature ratio, condition factor) of resident or caged Cnesterodon decemmaculatus after spraying or rainfall events, not even one year after, at the beginning of the next crop cycle. Although cypermethrin was "very highly toxic" to C. decemmaculatus in laboratory water (96h-LC(50)=0.43microg/l), its toxicity was reduced in filtered (78%) and unfiltered (92%) stream water. Changes in LC(50) values were mainly correlated with the OC content of each water fraction (r(2)=0.99; p<0.01; n=9), showing that both DOC and TOC contributed proportionally to toxicity reduction. Protective effects of stream water (12-fold reduction LC(50) values) explained the lack of effects on fish populations in the field, despite cypermethrin water concentrations after spraying reached values comparable with the 96h-LC(50). Therefore, cypermethrin under field-use conditions in transgenic-soybean production represents a low risk of acute exposure for fish populations inhabiting low-order temperate-streams rich in TOC. The relationship between LC(50) and TOC could be a convenient way to improve risk estimation based on laboratory toxicity testing.