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Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms

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Title: Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms
Authors: Wan, Nian-Feng, Fu, Liwan, Dainese, Matteo, Kiær, Lars Pødenphant, Hu, Yue-Qing, Xin, Fengfei, Goulson, Dave, Woodcock, Ben, Vanbergen, Adam, Spurgeon, David, Shen, Siyuan, Scherber, Christoph
Contributors: ROSSI, Sabine, EL Mjiyad, Noureddine
Source: Nat Commun
Nature Communications, Vol 16, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2025)
Wan, N-F, Fu, L, Dainese, M, Kiær, L P, Hu, Y-Q, Xin, F, Goulson, D, Woodcock, B A, Vanbergen, A J, Spurgeon, D J, Shen, S & Scherber, C 2025, ' Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms ', Nature Communications, vol. 16, 1360 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56732-x
Publisher Information: Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: agroecology, Insecticides, pollination, bias, growth, Science, declines, Article, biodiversity loss, Invertebrates/drug effects, terrestrial, Animals, Pesticides, Reproduction/drug effects, pesticide, Ecosystem, biodiversity, Bacteria, Herbicides, Reproduction, Insecticides/toxicity, Fungi, Biodiversity, Plants, Invertebrates, tree, [SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio], Bacteria/drug effects, exposure, food webs, Herbicides/toxicity, Plants/drug effects, ecosystems, ecosystem services, Pesticides/toxicity, Fungi/drug effects, metaanalysis
Description: Pesticides affect a diverse range of non-target species and may be linked to global biodiversity loss. The magnitude of this hazard remains only partially understood. We present a synthesis of pesticide (insecticide, herbicide and fungicide) impacts on multiple non-target organisms across trophic levels based on 20,212 effect sizes from 1,705 studies. For non-target plants, animals (invertebrate and vertebrates) and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), we show negative responses of the growth, reproduction, behaviour and other physiological biomarkers within terrestrial and aquatic systems. Pesticides formulated for specific taxa negatively affected non-target groups, e.g. insecticidal neonicotinoids affecting amphibians. Negative effects were more pronounced in temperate than tropical regions but were consistent between aquatic and terrestrial environments, even after correcting for field-realistic terrestrial and environmentally relevant exposure scenarios. Our results question the sustainability of current pesticide use and support the need for enhanced risk assessments to reduce risks to biodiversity and ecosystems.
Document Type: Article
Other literature type
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
ISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56732-x
Access URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39948065
https://doaj.org/article/8f66931133944cc6af1c91f4aa6eeaf6
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538925/
https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/429752309/s41467_025_56732_x.pdf
Rights: CC BY NC ND
Accession Number: edsair.doi.dedup.....f0e676b2c17e743353051e4227b19c01
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:Pesticides affect a diverse range of non-target species and may be linked to global biodiversity loss. The magnitude of this hazard remains only partially understood. We present a synthesis of pesticide (insecticide, herbicide and fungicide) impacts on multiple non-target organisms across trophic levels based on 20,212 effect sizes from 1,705 studies. For non-target plants, animals (invertebrate and vertebrates) and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi), we show negative responses of the growth, reproduction, behaviour and other physiological biomarkers within terrestrial and aquatic systems. Pesticides formulated for specific taxa negatively affected non-target groups, e.g. insecticidal neonicotinoids affecting amphibians. Negative effects were more pronounced in temperate than tropical regions but were consistent between aquatic and terrestrial environments, even after correcting for field-realistic terrestrial and environmentally relevant exposure scenarios. Our results question the sustainability of current pesticide use and support the need for enhanced risk assessments to reduce risks to biodiversity and ecosystems.
ISSN:20411723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-56732-x