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Incorporation of zinc and copper by insects of different functional feeding groups in agricultural streams

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Abstract

Metals from agricultural areas are responsible for soil contamination and are carried into aquatic ecosystems. In this context, we evaluated the incorporation of zinc and copper via three feeding strategies (shredding, herbivory and predators) in assemblages of stream insects. We collected aquatic insects in five agricultural streams and five natural streams in Atlantic forest biome to investigate the accumulation of copper and zinc in insects with different feeding strategies. We found no significant differences in the concentrations of copper and zinc between stream types among all insect-feeding groups compared. However, we observed that copper accumulate concentrations differed significantly among the shredders and predators in relation to their resource in streams, while zinc concentrations differed in the two feeding strategy. Therefore, the investigation of the transfer of copper and zinc by different feeding strategies in streams can contribute to the understanding of changes in aquatic insect assemblages related to agricultural activities around streams.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the PROSUP/CAPES for granting a scholarship to RCL and FAPERGS for a scholarship to MNM. We thank Rodrigo Fornel for the help in the generation of images, Silvia Milesi and Amanda Binotto and Jasan Dysarz for the help in the laboratory work. Fabiana Schneck and Silvia Milesi for suggestions about this manuscript. We thank for the suggestions made by two anonymous reviewers. RMR received financial support from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (409685/2016-0). LUH received financial support from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (421632/2016-0) and research productivity grants (305203/2017-7).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais, Fundação Universidade do Rio Grande, Av. Itália, Km 8 - Campus Carreiros, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, 96203-900, Brazil

    Rafael C. Loureiro & Luiz U. Hepp

  2. Laboratório de Biomonitoramento, Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões, Av. Sete de Setembro, 1621, Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, 99709-910, Brazil

    Rafael C. Loureiro, Mariana N. Menegat, Rozane M. Restello & Luiz U. Hepp

  3. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões, Av. Sete de Setembro, 1621, Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, 99709-910, Brazil

    Rozane M. Restello & Luiz U. Hepp

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  1. Rafael C. Loureiro
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  2. Mariana N. Menegat
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  3. Rozane M. Restello
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  4. Luiz U. Hepp
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Correspondence to Luiz U. Hepp.

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Loureiro, R.C., Menegat, M.N., Restello, R.M. et al. Incorporation of zinc and copper by insects of different functional feeding groups in agricultural streams. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 17402–17408 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1971-9

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