Effects of pasture intensification and sugarcane cultivation on non-target species: A realistic evaluation in pesticide-contaminated mesocosms.

Conventional soil management in agricultural areas may expose non-target organisms living nearby to several types of contaminants. In this study, the effects of soil management in extensive pasture (EP), intensive pasture (IP), and sugarcane crops (C) were evaluated in a realistic-field-scale study. Thirteen aquatic mesocosms embedded in EP, IP, and C treatments were monitored over 392 days.

Functional responses of Hyalella meinerti after exposure to environmentally realistic concentrations of 2,4-D, fipronil, and vinasse (individually and in mixture).

Sugarcane crops management in Brazil includes the use of pesticides, as well as alternative organic fertilizers such as vinasse obtained from waste of the ethanol industry. In order to assess the effects of the environmental contamination generated by such sugarcane practices, this study was aimed to investigate the effects of the pesticides 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and fipronil, as well as vinasse, on the survival, behavior, and reproduction of the native epibenthic macroinvertebrate Hyalella meinerti through in situ and laboratory experiments. In situ assays were conducted in mesocosms with six treatments, i.