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1. Binding and Orientation of Carbamate Pesticides on Silica Surfaces

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c02312  

   Bromley, Leander; Videla, Pablo E.; Cartagena-Brigantty, Jerry L.; Batista, Victor S.; Velarde, Luis (May 2023, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C)
2. Parasites and pesticides act antagonistically on honey bee health

   https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13811  

   Bird, Gwendolyn; Wilson, Alan E.; Williams, Geoffrey R.; Hardy, Nate B.; Marini, ed., Lorenzo (January 2021, Journal of Applied Ecology)

   Abstract Pesticides and parasites have each been linked to increased mortality in western honey bees (Apis mellifera). Currently, it is uncertain if one makes the other worse; several studies have tested for potential synergistic stressor effects, but results have been mixed.Here, we use a hierarchical meta‐analysis of 63 experiments from 26 studies to gain a clearer view of the combined effects of parasites and pesticides on honey bee health.We found that combined pesticide–parasite treatments do tend to be deadlier than uncombined treatments but are significantly less deadly than predicted additive or multiplicative effects. In other words, combined treatment effects are not synergistic, but antagonistic.Much of the previous uncertainty about the combined effects of pesticides and parasites on honey bee health can be attributed to a bias in the previous research against stressor antagonism; many researchers have excluded the possibility of antagonism a priori.Synthesis and applications. Meta‐analysis shows that when honey bees are stressed by a combination of pesticides and parasites, the combined stress effect is antagonistic, that is, less than the sum of its parts. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this antagonism could prove critical for effective management of honey bee health. 

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3. Evaluating the fitness consequences of plasticity in tolerance to pesticides

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6211  

   DiGiacopo, Devin G.; Hua, Jessica (April 2020, Ecology and Evolution)

   Abstract In a rapidly changing world, phenotypic plasticity may be a critical mechanism allowing populations to rapidly acclimate when faced with novel anthropogenic stressors. Theory predicts that if exposure to anthropogenic stress is heterogeneous, plasticity should be maintained as it allows organisms to avoid unnecessary expression of costly traits (i.e., phenotypic costs) when stressors are absent. Conversely, if exposure to stressors becomes constant, costs or limits of plasticity may lead to evolutionary trait canalization (i.e., genetic assimilation). While these concepts are well‐established in theory, few studies have examined whether these factors explain patterns of plasticity in natural populations facing anthropogenic stress. Using wild populations of wood frogs that vary in plasticity in tolerance to pesticides, the goal of this study was to evaluate the environmental conditions under which plasticity is expected to be advantageous or detrimental. We found that when pesticides were absent, more plastic populations exhibited lower pesticide tolerance and were more fit than less plastic populations, likely avoiding the cost of expressing high tolerance when it was not necessary. Contrary to our predictions, when pesticides were present, more plastic populations were as fit as less plastic populations, showing no signs of costs or limits of plasticity. Amidst unprecedented global change, understanding the factors shaping the evolution of plasticity will become increasingly important. 

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4. Consistent effects of pesticides on community structure and ecosystem function in freshwater systems

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20192-2  

   Rumschlag, Samantha L.; Mahon, Michael B.; Hoverman, Jason T.; Raffel, Thomas R.; Carrick, Hunter J.; Hudson, Peter J.; Rohr, Jason R. (December 2020, Nature Communications)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Predicting ecological effects of contaminants remains challenging because of the sheer number of chemicals and their ambiguous role in biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships. We evaluate responses of experimental pond ecosystems to standardized concentrations of 12 pesticides, nested in four pesticide classes and two pesticide types. We show consistent effects of herbicides and insecticides on ecosystem function, and slightly less consistent effects on community composition. Effects of pesticides on ecosystem function are mediated by alterations in the abundance and community composition of functional groups. Through bottom-up effects, herbicides reduce respiration and primary productivity by decreasing the abundance of phytoplankton. The effects of insecticides on respiration and primary productivity of phytoplankton are driven by top-down effects on zooplankton composition and abundance, but not richness. By demonstrating consistent effects of pesticides on communities and ecosystem functions and linking pesticide-induced changes in functional groups of organisms to ecosystem functions, the study suggests that ecological risk assessment of registered chemicals could be simplified to synthetic chemical classes or types and groups of organisms with similar functions and chemical toxicities. 

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5. Feces are Effective Biological Samples for Measuring Pesticides and Flame Retardants in Primates

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c02500  

   Wang, Shaorui; Steiniche, Tessa; Rothman, Jessica M.; Wrangham, Richard W.; Chapman, Colin A.; Mutegeki, Richard; Quirós, Rodolfo; Wasserman, Michael D.; Venier, Marta (October 2020, Environmental Science & Technology)

   null (Ed.)