Synergy between prochloraz and esfenvalerate in Daphnia magna from acute and subchronic exposures in the laboratory and microcosms

Maj-Britt Andersen Bjergager, Mark L. Hanson, Keith R. Solomon, Nina Cedergreen

    34 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Azole fungicides can enhance the toxicity of pyrethroid insecticides on aquatic species. It is, however, unknown to what extend the synergy found under laboratory conditions for strongly sorbing compounds (Azole logK ow: 3-4, pyrethroid logK ow: 6-7) will also take place in the field. We therefore investigated the synergising potential of the fungicide prochloraz on the pyrethroid esfenvalerate on Daphnia magna in the laboratory and in situ in cages placed in outdoor aquatic microcosms treated with 0.17, 0.33 and 0.83μgL -1 esfenvalerate with and without 90μgL -1 prochloraz. We found that the 8-14 fold synergy observed after 2 and 7days of exposure to mixtures in the microcosms was equivalent to or greater than the 3-7 fold synergy found in 2-day laboratory tests. Incubating new neonates in situ 7 and 14days after pesticide addition gave EC 50 values of 0.012±0.001 and <0.005μgesfenvalerateL -1 in the mixture treatments, based on measured water column concentrations. The detection limit is more than ten-fold lower than the lowest esfenvalerate concentration observed to cause ecologically significant effects across seven long term mesocosms studies, hence, even on a longer time scale prochloraz apparently synergises the effect of esfenvalerate under field-like conditions in the microcosms. The results show that synergy found in the laboratory also takes place under field like conditions at quantitatively similar levels, and that it lasts for several weeks. More knowledge on the identification of potential synergists, their true bioavailability and the concentrations and time span within which they can cause synergy needs further study, before an overall evaluation of the occurrence and severity of synergy under field conditions can take place.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalAquatic Toxicology
    Volume110-111
    Pages (from-to)17-24
    Number of pages8
    ISSN0166-445X
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2012

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