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A metabolomics based test of independent action and concentration addition using the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus

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Abstract

A major challenge in ecotoxicology is to understand the effects of multiple toxicants on organisms. Here we assess the effects on survival, weight change, cocoon production and metabolism caused by exposure to two similarly acting (imidacloprid/thiacloprid) and two dissimilarly acting (chlorpyrifos/Nickel) chemicals on the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus. We assessed the standard models of concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA), in conjunction with a metabolomics based approach to elucidate mechanisms of effect. For imidacloprid and thiacloprid the reproductive effects indicated probable additivity. Although this suggests joint effects through a similar mechanism, metabolite changes for each pesticide actually indicated distinct effects. Further, earthworms exposed to a 0.5 toxic unit equitoxic mixture demonstrated metabolic effects intermediate between those for each pesticide, indicating a non-interactive, independent joint effect. For higher effect level mixtures (1 and 1.5 toxic units), metabolite changes associated with thiacloprid exposure began to dominate. The metabolomic effects of the two dissimilarly acting chemicals were distinct, confirming separate modes of action and both proved more toxic than anticipated from previous studies. In the mixtures, phenotypic effects were in accordance with IA estimates, while metabolite changes were dominated by Ni effects, even though chlorpyrifos contributed most to reproductive toxicity. This could be attributed to the greater systematic effect of Ni when compared to the more specifically acting chlorpyrifos.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the European Union (European Commission, FP6 Contract No. 003956 (http://nomiracle.jrc.it/default.aspx). The authors are grateful to Drs. Resa Salek and Denis Rubtsov for help with NMR analysis and statistical processing respectively. The authors also thank the three anonymous reviewers whose thorough and detailed critiques greatly improved the manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. A. J. Baylay

    Present address: School of Immunity and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

  2. Suresh C. Swain

    Present address: Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3DA, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, The Sanger Building, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1GA, UK

    A. J. Baylay & J. L. Griffin

  2. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, MacLean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxon, OX10 8BB, UK

    D. J. Spurgeon & C. Svendsen

  3. School of Biomedical Sciences, Analytical and Environmental Sciences Division, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK

    Suresh C. Swain & Stephen R. Sturzenbaum

  4. School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476V, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia

    O. A. H. Jones

Authors
  1. A. J. Baylay
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  2. D. J. Spurgeon
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  3. C. Svendsen
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  7. O. A. H. Jones
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to O. A. H. Jones.

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Baylay, A.J., Spurgeon, D.J., Svendsen, C. et al. A metabolomics based test of independent action and concentration addition using the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus . Ecotoxicology 21, 1436–1447 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0897-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-012-0897-0

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