Abstract
Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) - one of glyphosate’s main metabolites - has been classified as persistent in soils, raising concern regarding the widespread use of glyphosate in agriculture and forestry. Glyphosate may have negative or neutral effects on soil biota, but no information is available on the toxicity of AMPA to soil invertebrates. Therefore our aim was to study the effect of AMPA on mortality and reproduction of the earthworm species Eisenia andrei using standard soil ecotoxicological methods (ISO). Field-relevant concentrations of AMPA had no significant effects on mortality in acute or chronic assays. Except at the highest concentration tested, a significant biomass loss was observed compared to controls in the chronic assay. The number of juveniles and cocoons increased with higher concentrations of AMPA applied, but their mean weights decreased. This mass loss indicates higher sensitivity of juveniles than adults to AMPA. Our results suggest that earthworms coming from parents grown in contaminated soils may have reduced growth, limiting their beneficial roles in key soil ecosystem functions. Nevertheless, further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the sublethal effects observed here.
Highlights
Glyphosate was first introduced in crop production in 19711
The higher mass loss in the control treatment was accompanied by energy and biomass investment in reproduction, as cocoon production was highest in the control and significantly higher when compared to the AMPA1000 and AMPA2500 treatments (Fig. 1C)
The toxicity of glyphosate’s main metabolite – Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) – to the earthworm E. andrei was studied in field-relevant concentrations
Summary
Glyphosate was first introduced in crop production in 19711. its use expanded worldwide during the 1990’s, when herbicide-resistant, genetically-engineered crops allowed widespread use by farmers of broad-spectrum herbicides such as glyphosate[2]. Earthworms are one of the most important components of the soil biota in terms of soil formation and maintenance of soil structure and fertility[6] They are frequently used as indicators of soil quality and contamination levels, with standard, internationally recognized and adopted ecotoxicology assays[7,8,9]. These methods include acute and chronic tests. The former evaluates short-term and lethal effects of a potentially toxic agent, providing information on possible quick and dramatic changes in earthworm communities. The risk of non-target toxic effects of glyphosate in soils appears to be low, considering its’ short half-life: only 5 to 23 days[20,21,22] in field conditions, the degradation pattern is significantly affected by factors such as soil texture, pH, rain events and microbial activity[23]
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