Organic Insecticides More Damaging To Non-Target Insects Than Synthetic Counterparts
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Very low concentrations of the popular organic insecticide spinosad have profound effects on beneficial insect species, including vision loss and neurodegeneration, new research led by the University of Melbourne has found.
The study, published in eLife, used the vinegar fly Drosophila to analyze the impact of chronic exposure to low concentrations (0.2 parts per million) of spinosad and the resulting physiological impacts on the brain and other tissues.
Spinosad is commonly used to control insect pests including thrips, leafminers, spider mites, mosquitoes, ants and fruit flies, in both commercial and domestic settings.
"Within a matter of 20 days, tiny doses of spinosad can have an alarming impact on the brains of adult Drosophila. Observing sections of brain tissue under microscope demonstrated there was an average of 17% of the fly brains destroyed due to exposure," said Dr. Felipe Martelli from Monash University, who completed this work as part of his Ph.D. at the University of Melbourne.
"Neurons that serve vital functions die leaving large vacuoles, fluid-filled sacs, in the brain. This leads to neurodegeneration, blindness and behavioral changes in adult vinegar flies. Due to the Drosophila's genetic and biochemical similarities to other insects, the research indicates that these impacts could be translated to other beneficial insects such as bees," Dr. Martelli said.
[...] "When you look at insect species disappearing it's almost like randomly pulling blocks out of a Jenga tower; its destabilizing ecosystems making them vulnerable to collapse."
Journal Reference:
Felipe Martelli, Natalia H. Hernandes, Zhongyuan Zuo, et al. Low doses of the organic insecticide spinosad trigger lysosomal defects, elevated ROS, lipid dysregulation, and neurodegeneration in flies, (DOI: 10.7554/eLife.73812)
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