Abstract
Introduction
A proper environmental risk assessment of pollutants requires
knowledge of the concentration to which organisms are exposed
and of their potentially toxic effects. We here present
our investigations on several biomarkers that may be used for
sublethal effect testing of the insecticide imidacloprid on
Collembola. Imidacloprid, an insecticide neurotoxic, belongs
to the chemical class of neonicotinoids, which contains a chlorinated
pyridyl group or another heterocyclic group that withdraws
electrons from an adjacent amino moiety in themolecule
providing a partially positive charge without protonization
(Stenersen 2004). Imidacloprid penetrates easily into the nervous
system of insects and binds selectively to the nicotinic
acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), causing false signals in cholinergic
synapses which leads to overstimulation with tremors
and paralysis (Stenersen 2004). Due to steric conditions at the
nAChR, imidacloprid has much lower toxicity to mammals
(Tomlin 2000). The use of imidacloprid and other similar
neonicotinoids was restricted for 2 years (starting in
December 2013) in 25 EU countries including Germany,
Italy, France, and Slovenia as a result of a study that showed
a link between imidacloprid and bee death (EASAC 2015).
Related study about an effect of the insecticide imidacloprid