Effects of a common larvicide on the life history of cladoceran species: a multigenerational and in silico point of view

Abstract

Temephos is an organophosphorus insecticide used as a common larvicide. Although no studies to our knowledge report the presence of temephos in Mexican waterbodies, the Latin American government still uses the larvicide to control Aedes aegypti and illnesses associated with dengue. Freshwater systems and wastewater treatment plants contain microorganisms such as zooplankton species. Non-target organisms can interact directly with the larvicide due to the application in water producing adverse effects in their populations. Most ecotoxicological assays using zooplankton species are based on previously unexposed populations, discarding multigenerational point of view and in silico methods. In the present study, chronic effects were evaluated through life table demography for Moina macrocopa (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1 µg L^-1) and Ceriodaphnia dubia (0, 0.06, 0.125, 0.25 µg L^-1) exposed to sublethal levels of temephos in the medium for two generations (F0 and F1). Regardless of the concentrations used, temephos produced effects on both cladocerans species in the two generations. Induced maternal effects can be observed in the tolerance of the offspring of M. macrocopa, compared to C. dubia, where the impacts were far greater in the F1 generation. This can be explained due to the interactions of binding sites on arginine kinase, suggesting potential inhibitory effects of temephos on the amino acid.