The tolerance of plants to herbivory reflects the degree to which a plant can regrow and reproduce after damage from herbivores. Autoecological factors, as well as the influence of competitors and mutualists, affect the level of plant tolerance. Recent work indicates that there is a heritable basis for tolerance and that it can evolve in natural plant populations. Although tolerance is probably not a strict alternative to plant resistance, there could be inter- and intraspecific tradeoffs between these defensive strategies.

http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/agrawal/pdfs/1999/Tree-1999.pdf

The ecology and evolution of plant tolerance to herbivory.

Since their discovery in the late 1980s, neonicotinoid pesticides have become the most widely used class of insecticides worldwide, with large-scale applications ranging from plant protection (crops, vegetables, fruits), veterinary products, and biocides to invertebrate pest control in fish farming. In this review, we address the phenyl-pyrazole fipronil together with neonicotinoids because of similarities in their toxicity, physicochemical profiles, and presence in the environment. Neonicotinoids and fipronil currently account for approximately one third of the world insecticide market; the annual world production of the archetype neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, was estimated to be ca. 20,000 tonnes active substance in 2010. There were several reasons for the initial success of neonicotinoids and fipronil: (1) there was no known pesticide resistance in target pests, mainly because of their recent development, (2) their physicochemical properties included many advantages over previous generations of insecticides (i.e., organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, etc.), and (3) they shared an assumed reduced operator and consumer risk. Due to their systemic nature, they are taken up by the roots or leaves and translocated to all parts of the plant, which, in turn, makes them effectively toxic to herbivorous insects. The toxicity persists for a variable period of time—depending on the plant, its growth stage, and the amount of pesticide applied. A wide variety of applications are available, including the most common prophylactic non-Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) application by seed coating. As a result of their extensive use and physicochemical properties, these substances can be found in all environmental compartments including soil, water, and air. Neonicotinoids and fipronil operate by disrupting neural transmission in the central nervous system of invertebrates. Neonicotinoids mimic the action of neurotransmitters, while fipronil inhibits neuronal receptors. In doing so, they continuously stimulate neurons leading ultimately to death of target invertebrates. Like virtually all insecticides, they can also have lethal and sublethal impacts on non-target organisms, including insect predators and vertebrates. Furthermore, a range of synergistic effects with other stressors have been documented. Here, we review extensively their metabolic pathways, showing how they form both compound-specific and common metabolites which can themselves be toxic. These may result in prolonged toxicity. Considering their wide commercial expansion, mode of action, the systemic properties in plants, persistence and environmental fate, coupled with limited information about the toxicity profiles of these compounds and their metabolites, neonicotinoids and fipronil may entail significant risks to the environment. A global evaluation of the potential collateral effects of their use is therefore timely. The present paper and subsequent chapters in this review of the global literature explore these risks and show a growing body of evidence that persistent, low concentrations of these insecticides pose serious risks of undesirable environmental impacts.

/pdf/systemic-insecticides-neonicotinoids-and-fipronil-trends-iqykc9qemm.pdf

Systemic insecticides (neonicotinoids and fipronil): trends, uses, mode of action and metabolites

This review categorizes the diversity of life-styles in the Phytoseiidae, based primarily on food habits and related biological and morphological traits. The life-styles proposed are as follows: Type I, specialized predators of Tetranychus species represented by the Phytoseiulus species; Type II, selective predators of tetranychid mites (most frequently associated with species that produce dense webbing) represented by Galendromus, some Neoseiulus, and a few Typhlodromus species; Type III, generalist predators represented by some Neoseiulus species and most Typhlodromus and Amblyseius species, as well as species in all other genera about which information is available; Type IV, specialized pollen feeders/generalist predators represented by Euseius species. Consideration is given to the relative importance of each of these types in biological control and pest management programs.

Life-styles of phytoseiid mites and their roles in biological control

In addition to altering global ecology, technology and human population growth also affect evolutionary trajectories, dramatically accelerating evolutionary change in other species, especially in commercially important, pest, and disease organisms. Such changes are apparent in antibiotic and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) resistance to drugs, plant and insect resistance to pesticides, rapid changes in invasive species, life-history change in commercial fisheries, and pest adaptation to biological engineering products. This accelerated evolution costs at least $33 billion to $50 billion a year in the United States. Slowing and controlling arms races in disease and pest management have been successful in diverse ecological and economic systems, illustrating how applied evolutionary principles can help reduce the impact of human-kind on evolution.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/293/5536/1786.full.pdf

Humans as the World's Greatest Evolutionary Force

Systemic insecticides are applied to plants using a wide variety of methods, ranging from foliar sprays to seed treatments and soil drenches. Neonicotinoids and fipronil are among the most widely used pesticides in the world. Their popularity is largely due to their high toxicity to invertebrates, the ease and flexibility with which they can be applied, their long persistence, and their systemic nature, which ensures that they spread to all parts of the target crop. However, these properties also increase the probability of environmental contamination and exposure of nontarget organisms. Environmental contamination occurs via a number of routes including dust generated during drilling of dressed seeds, contamination and accumulation in arable soils and soil water, runoff into waterways, and uptake of pesticides by nontarget plants via their roots or dust deposition on leaves. Persistence in soils, waterways, and nontarget plants is variable but can be prolonged; for example, the half-lives of neonicotinoids in soils can exceed 1,000 days, so they can accumulate when used repeatedly. Similarly, they can persist in woody plants for periods exceeding 1 year. Breakdown results in toxic metabolites, though concentrations of these in the environment are rarely measured. Overall, there is strong evidence that soils, waterways, and plants in agricultural environments and neighboring areas are contaminated with variable levels of neonicotinoids or fipronil mixtures and their metabolites (soil, parts per billion (ppb)-parts per million (ppm) range; water, parts per trillion (ppt)-ppb range; and plants, ppb-ppm range). This provides multiple routes for chronic (and acute in some cases) exposure of nontarget animals. For example, pollinators are exposed through direct contact with dust during drilling; consumption of pollen, nectar, or guttation drops from seed-treated crops, water, and consumption of contaminated pollen and nectar from wild flowers and trees growing near-treated crops. Studies of food stores in honeybee colonies from across the globe demonstrate that colonies are routinely and chronically exposed to neonicotinoids, fipronil, and their metabolites (generally in the 1–100 ppb range), mixed with other pesticides some of which are known to act synergistically with neonicotinoids. Other nontarget organisms, particularly those inhabiting soils, aquatic habitats, or herbivorous insects feeding on noncrop plants in farmland, will also inevitably receive exposure, although data are generally lacking for these groups. We summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental fate of these compounds by outlining what is known about the chemical properties of these compounds, and placing these properties in the context of modern agricultural practices.

/pdf/environmental-fate-and-exposure-neonicotinoids-and-fipronil-ln5a08bl9m.pdf

Environmental fate and exposure; neonicotinoids and fipronil

A number of novel insecticides have recently been registered for insect control in agriculture. A major advantage of these new products is that they act on insect biological processes that humans do not experience, such as molting. Many also have greater selectivity to target specific species, so they are less likely to harm natural enemies when compared with the broader spectrum organophosphate, carbamate, neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides. Such novel insecticides currently in use include four targeting lepidopteran pests, three targeting sucking insects, one specific to dipteran leafminers and one insect growth regulator that controls a wide range of insects. One negative aspect of these insecticides is that because of their narrower range of activity — controlling only a limited number of pests — growers may need to apply additional pesticides for secondary pest groups that have poor biological control, increasing the total number of treatments per acre and total pest-control costs.

/pdf/various-novel-insecticides-are-less-toxic-to-humans-more-1pvf38am0u.pdf

Various novel insecticides are less toxic to humans, more specific to key pests

California red scale insecticide efficacy trial, 2007

Laboratory and field studies were conducted to measure the effects of spirotetramat on life stages of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), and a primary parasitoid, Aphytis melinus DeBach. Organophosphate-resistant and -susceptible populations responded similarly to spirotetramat, suggesting there is no cross-resistance between these insecticide classes. First and second instar male and female A. aurantii were 10- and 32-fold more susceptible to spirotetramat (LC50 = 0.1–0.2 ppm) compared with early third (LC50 = 1.5 ppm) and late third instar females (LC50 = 5.3 ppm). The LC99 value indicated that late stage third instar females would not be fully controlled by a field rate of spirotetramat; however, spirotetramat would reduce their fecundity by 89%. Field applications of spirotetramat in two water volumes and using two adjuvants (oil and a nonionic spray adjuvant) showed similar reduction in A. aurantii numbers, even though the higher water volume demonstrated more complete cove...

/pdf/effects-of-spirotetramat-on-aonidiella-aurantii-homoptera-ub42j6wbqq.pdf

Effects of Spirotetramat on Aonidiella aurantii (Homoptera: Diaspididae) and Its Parasitoid, Aphytis melinus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae)

The postharvest control of arthropod pests is a challenge that the California citrus industry must overcome when exporting fruit overseas. Currently, methyl bromide fumigation is used to control postharvest pests on exported citrus, but it may soon be unavailable because of use restrictions and cost of this health-hazard ozone-depleting chemical. Ethyl formate is a natural plant volatile and possible alternative to methyl bromide in postharvest insect control. The objectives of this study were 1) to evaluate the mortality of third instar California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell)) (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) and adult western sower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) under a wide range of ethyl formate concentrations, 2) to determine the ethyl formate concentration required to reach a Probit 9 level of control for both pests, and 3) to test the effects of ethyl formate fumigation on the quality of navel oranges (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) and lemons (Citrus limon (L.) Burman f.) at 24 h after fumigation, and at different time periods to simulate shipping plus storage (5 wk at 5C), and shipping, storage, handling, and shelf-life (5 wk at 5 C, plus 5da t 15 C, and 2da t 20C). The results indicate that ethyl formate is a promising alternative to methyl bromide for the California citrus industry, because of successful control of adult western sower thips and third instar California red scale and no deleterious effect on fruit quality at any of the evaluated periods and quality parameters.

/pdf/postharvest-control-of-western-flower-thrips-thysanoptera-1v1v7l8tg3.pdf

Postharvest Control of Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and California Red Scale (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) With Ethyl Formate and Its Impact on Citrus Fruit Quality

California red scale insecticide efficacy trial, 2009

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