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Sublethal effects of imidacloprid on the predatory seven-spot ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata

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Abstract

The seven-spot ladybird beetle, Coccinella septempunctata, is a major natural enemy of aphids in the field and in greenhouses in China and is part of integrated pest management (IPM). Imidacloprid, a highly efficient insecticide that not only kills aphids at lethal concentrations, but also can cause various sublethal effects in nontarget organisms. To strengthen IPM and its sustainability, it is important assessing possible side effects on natural enemies. When the effects of sublethal concentrations (LC5 and 10%LC5) of imidacloprid on C. septempunctata were evaluated, the adult longevity was shortened by 23.97 and 28.68 %, and the fecundity reduced by 52.81 and 56.09 % compared to control population. In the F1 generation (i.e., the progeny of the exposed individuals), the juvenile development was slower by 1.44 days and 0.66 days, and the oviposition period was shortened by 10 and 13 days, respectively. The fecundity of the F1 generation decreased by 17.88, 44.03 and 51.69 % when exposed to 1%LC5, 10%LC5, and LC5, respectively. The results of demographical growth estimates showed that the intrinsic rate of increase (r m ) and net reproductive rate (R 0 ) were lower in C. septempunctata populations that had been exposed to sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid. The results emphasize the importance of assessing side effects of low imidacloprid concentrations on such predator species, even at the transgenerational level.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Program (973 program 2013CB127605), the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201303108), and the Beijing Novo Program (z121105002512039). The authors are grateful to Professor Hsin Chi (Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Ecology, Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan) for providing the age-stage two-sex life table software.

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    1. Institute of Plant and Environment Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forest Science, Beijing, 100097, China

      Da Xiao, Jing Zhao, Xiaojun Guo, Fan Zhang & Su Wang

    2. Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, 100125, China

      Hongying Chen, Mengmeng Qu & Weigang Zhai

    3. INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, 400 Route des Chappes, Sophia-Antipolis, 06903, France

      Nicolas Desneux

    4. University of Catania, Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, via Santa Sofia 100, Catania, 95123, Italy

      Antonio Biondi

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    Xiao, D., Zhao, J., Guo, X. et al. Sublethal effects of imidacloprid on the predatory seven-spot ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata . Ecotoxicology 25, 1782–1793 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1721-z

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