PUBLICATION
Sub-Lethal Peak Exposure to Insecticides Triggers Olfaction-Mediated Avoidance in Zebrafish Larvae
- Authors
- Könemann, S., Meyer, S., Betz, A., Županič, A., Vom Berg, C.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-210817-13
- Date
- 2021
- Source
- Environmental science & technology 55(17): 11835-11847 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- vom Berg, Colette
- Keywords
- behavioral response, insecticide exposure, neuronal activity, olfaction, stress response
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal
- Insecticides*/toxicity
- Larva
- Smell
- Water Pollutants, Chemical*/toxicity
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 34398619 Full text @ Env. Sci. Tech.
Citation
Könemann, S., Meyer, S., Betz, A., Županič, A., Vom Berg, C. (2021) Sub-Lethal Peak Exposure to Insecticides Triggers Olfaction-Mediated Avoidance in Zebrafish Larvae. Environmental science & technology. 55(17):11835-11847.
Abstract
In agricultural areas, insecticides inevitably reach water bodies via leaching or run-off. While designed to be neurotoxic to insects, insecticides have adverse effects on a multitude of organisms due to the high conservation of the nervous system among phyla. To estimate the ecological effects of insecticides, it is important to investigate their impact on non-target organisms such as fish. Using zebrafish as the model, we investigated how different classes of insecticides influence fish behavior and uncovered neuronal underpinnings of the associated behavioral changes, providing an unprecedented insight into the perception of these chemicals by fish. We observed that zebrafish larvae avoid diazinon and imidacloprid while showing no response to other insecticides with the same mode of action. Moreover, ablation of olfaction abolished the aversive responses, indicating that fish smelled the insecticides. Assessment of neuronal activity in 289 brain regions showed that hypothalamic areas involved in stress response were among the regions with the largest changes, indicating that the observed behavioral response resembles reactions to stimuli that threaten homeostasis, such as changes in water chemistry. Our results contribute to the understanding of the environmental impact of insecticide exposure and can help refine acute toxicity assessment.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping