Pasquier Laura, Groutsch Julie, Verger Maïlys, Wallart Violette, Meunier Joël, Lécureuil Charlotte
Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte, UMR 7261, CNRS, University of Tours, Tours, France.
Ecotoxicology. 2025 Jun 25. doi: 10.1007/s10646-025-02912-w.
Sublethal exposure to pesticides can affect the reproduction and population dynamics of many non-target organisms, such as insects. Among these pesticides, glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) were long thought to have no effect on insects because their active compounds can only affect plants and microorganisms. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that GBH can directly or indirectly alter a wide range of fitness-related traits in insects. In this study, we tested whether exposure to the GBH Roundup© affects maternal care behaviour and juvenile development, locomotion and immunity in the European earwig, an insect commonly found in vineyards and orchards. First, we exposed female earwigs to Roundup at concentrations ten times below, equal to and ten times above the normal application rate (NAR) and then measured the expression of maternal care in terms of egg collection, egg and juvenile care and defense. We also measured maternal self-grooming and locomotor activity, and the development time, weight and size of newly produced juveniles. In a second experiment, we exposed earwig juveniles to a control solution or to Roundup and then measured their locomotion, the expression of genes involved in their development (the juveniles hormone pathway), and their survival after exposure to a fungal pathogen. Overall, our results showed no significant effect of Roundup on any of the parameters measured. This finding suggests that direct exposure to a GBH formulation may not necessarily induce behavioural, physiological and developmental alteration in this species. It also calls for future studies to explore the underlying mechanisms behind this apparent lack of sensitivity. More generally, these results highlight the importance of assessing the impact of pesticide use and the factors driving potential resilience across a wide range of non-target organisms to ensure sustainable agricultural practices.
农药的亚致死暴露会影响许多非靶标生物的繁殖和种群动态，比如昆虫。在这些农药中，草甘膦基除草剂（GBHs）长期以来被认为对昆虫没有影响，因为其活性成分只会影响植物和微生物。然而，越来越多的证据表明，GBH可以直接或间接改变昆虫一系列与适应性相关的性状。在本研究中，我们测试了接触GBH农达®是否会影响欧洲蠼螋的母性照料行为、幼虫发育、运动能力和免疫力，欧洲蠼螋是葡萄园和果园中常见的一种昆虫。首先，我们将雌性蠼螋暴露于浓度分别为正常施用量（NAR）的十分之一、相等和十倍的农达中，然后从收集卵、照料卵和幼虫以及防御等方面来衡量母性照料的表现。我们还测量了母体的自我梳理和运动活动，以及新产生幼虫的发育时间、体重和大小。在第二个实验中，我们将蠼螋幼虫暴露于对照溶液或农达中，然后测量它们的运动能力、参与其发育（幼虫激素途径）的基因表达，以及它们在接触真菌病原体后的存活率。总体而言,我们的结果表明农达对所测量的任何参数均无显著影响。这一发现表明，直接接触GBH制剂不一定会引起该物种行为、生理和发育的改变。这也呼吁未来的研究探索这种明显缺乏敏感性背后的潜在机制。更普遍地说，这些结果凸显了评估农药使用的影响以及驱动广泛非靶标生物潜在恢复力的因素对于确保可持续农业实践的重要性。
