title: Can damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) be used as bioindicators of sublethal effects of environmental contamination?
abstract: The present study measured various pesticides and trace metals, together with sublethal effect biomarkers (lipid, protein and glycogen levels, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities) in damselfly larvae (Ischnura elegans) at sixteen sampling sites in Flanders (Belgium). Four pesticides (chloridazon, dichlorvos, terbutylazine, metolachlor), some of them hardly measurable in surface water, and all trace metals were above the limit of quantification in damselfly tissue. A principal component analysis (PCA) on the accumulated pollutant concentrations returned five pollutant axes explaining 85.8% of the total variation. Based on these PCA-axes a hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the 16 sampled ponds could be classified in 7 groups. Increasing dichlorvos levels in the animals resulted in a lower body mass. Body mass was negatively correlated with GST and AChE activities, lipid and glycogen levels. The present findings provide evidence of toxicity-induced sublethal stress of dichlorvos accumulation in natural populations of I. elegans.
authors: Department of Biology, Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research (SPHERE), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors: Nander
authors: N
authors: Van Praet
authors: Department of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Research Institute of Nature and Forest (INBO), Kliniekstraat 25, 1070 Brussel, Belgium.
authors: Luc
authors: L
authors: De Bruyn
authors: Department of Biology, Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research (SPHERE), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: maarten.dejonge@uantwerpen.be.
authors: Maarten
authors: M
authors: De Jonge
authors: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: Lynn
authors: L
authors: Vanhaecke
authors: Department of Biology, Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Leuven, Ch. Deberiotstraat 32, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Robby
authors: R
authors: Stoks
authors: Department of Biology, Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research (SPHERE), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors: Lieven
authors: L
authors: Bervoets
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D063191:Odonata / Q000187:drug effects*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008670:Metals; D010575:Pesticides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Biomarkers; Damselfly larvae; Metals; Pesticides