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Role of climatic factors in the toxicity of fipronil toward earthworms in two tropical soils: effects of increased temperature and reduced soil moisture content

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of temperature on the toxicity of fipronil toward earthworms (Eisenia andrei) in two Brazilian soils (Entisol and Oxisol) with contrasting textures. In the case of Entisol, the influence of soil moisture content on toxicity was also investigated. Earthworms were exposed for 56 days to soils spiked with increasing concentrations of fipronil (8.95, 19.48, 38.22, 155.61, and 237.81 mg kg−1 for Entisol; 12.99, 27.94, 48.42, 204.67, and 374.29 mg kg−1 for Oxisol) under scenarios with different combinations of temperature (20, 25 and 27 °C) and soil moisture content (60 and 30% of water holding capacity (WHC) for Entisol and 60% WHC for Oxisol). The number of juveniles produced was taken as the endpoint, and a risk assessment was performed based on the hazard quotient (HQ). In Entisol, at 60% WHC the fipronil toxicity decreased at 27 °C compared with the other temperatures tested (EC50 = 52.58, 48.48, and 110 mg kg−1 for 20, 25, and 27 °C, respectively). In the case of Oxisol at 60% WHC, the fipronil toxicity increased at 27 °C compared with other temperatures (EC50 = 277.57, 312.87, and 39.89 mg kg−1 at 20, 25, and 27 °C, respectively). An increase in fipronil toxicity was also observed with a decrease in soil moisture content in Entisol at 27 °C (EC50 = 27.95 and 110 mg kg−1 for 30% and 60% WHC, respectively). The risk of fipronil was only significant at 27 °C in Entisol and Oxisol with water contents of 30% and 60% WHC, respectively, revealing that higher temperatures are able to increase the risk of fipronil toxicity toward earthworms depending on soil type and soil moisture content. The results reported herein show that soil properties associated with climatic shifts could enhance the ecotoxicological effects and risk of fipronil for earthworms, depending on the type of soil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dep. of Soil Science, Santa Catarina State University, Av. Luis de Camões, 2090, , Lages, SC, 88520000, Brazil

    Thuanne Braúlio Hennig, Felipe Ogliari Bandeira & Dilmar Baretta

  2. Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Av. Fernando Machado 108 E, Chapecó, SC, 89802112, Brazil

    Paulo Roger Lopes Alves & Marco Aurélio Tramontin da Silva

  3. Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Av. Jacob Reinaldo Haupenthal, Cerro Largo, RS, 1580, 97900000, Brazil

    Liziara da Costa Cabrera & Jonas Simon Dugatto

  4. Centro de Educação Superior Do Oeste, Santa Catarina State University, Beloni Trombeta Zanin, 680-E, Chapecó, SC, 89815-630, Brazil

    Dilmar Baretta

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  1. Thuanne Braúlio Hennig
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  2. Paulo Roger Lopes Alves
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  3. Felipe Ogliari Bandeira
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Correspondence to Paulo Roger Lopes Alves.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) for the research grant (Project 407170/2016–2). DB received support from CNPq by Research Productivity Grant (CNPq 305939/2018–1). FOB and TBH received support from Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) by their master grants (process numbers 1735590 and 88882.447285/2019–01, respectively).

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Author contribution

TBH: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, writing – original draft. PRLA: conceptualization, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, project administration, resources, supervision, writing – review and editing. FOB: investigation, data curation, formal analysis. LCC: investigation, data curation, formal analysis. JSD: investigation. MATS: supervision and data curation. DB: resources, supervision, writing – review and editing.

Ethics approval and consent to participate: All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted (Brazilian regimentation for the scientific use of animals – Law no. 11.794). Consent to participate and publication is not applicable.

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Hennig, T.B., Alves, P.R.L., Bandeira, F.O. et al. Role of climatic factors in the toxicity of fipronil toward earthworms in two tropical soils: effects of increased temperature and reduced soil moisture content. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 56370–56378 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19813-8

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