Occurrence of chlorpyrifos and organochlorine pesticides in a native bumblebee (Bombus pauloensis) living under different land uses in the southeastern Pampas, Argentina

CECCHETTO, FRANCO; VILLALBA, AGUSTINA; VAZQUEZ, NICOLAS D.; RAMIREZ, CRISTINA L.; MAGGI, MATIAS D.; MIGLIORANZA, KARINA S.B.

THE SCIENCE OF TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

elsevier

Año: 2023 vol. 905

0048-9697

declined due to several factors including pesticide use. Among them, the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos, poses a global threat, while legacy compounds like organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) easily bioaccumulate, increasing the concern. Bombus pauloensis, a widely distributed native bee in Argentina, is used forcommercial pollination; however, information regarding their health status is scarce. This study assessedchlorpyrifos and OCP levels in B. pauloensis (workers and males) and related environmental matrices living from* Corresponding author at: IIMyC, FCEyN, UNMdP, CONICET, Funes 3350, Mar del Plata, Argentina.E-mail address: cecchettofranco@mdp.edu.ar (F. Cecchetto).Contents lists available at ScienceDirectScience of the Total Environmentjournal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scitotenvhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167117Received 31 May 2023; Received in revised form 13 September 2023; Accepted 14 September 2023Science of the Total Environment 905 (2023) 1671172Organochlorine pesticidesLand usethree different land uses schemes, by means of GC-ECD and GC–MS. The ornamental horticulture field (OP)showed the highest total pesticide concentrations in workers (13.1 ng/g), flowers and soils, whereas the organicagriculture field (OA) exhibited the lowest. Chlorpyrifos was the most abundant compound, accounting for atleast 20 % of pesticide load across all matrices. The food production horticulture field (FH) had the highestchlorpyrifos concentration in workers, males and soils (5.0, 4.4 and 3.3 ng/g, respectively), suggesting a localgreater usage, whereas OA showed the lowest. Regarding OCPs groups, Drins and DDTs were predominant inmost matrices, with FH males registering the highest levels (4.0 and 2.5 ng/g, respectively), closely followed byOP. However, metabolites´ contribution indicated historical use and atmospheric inputs in all sites. Multivariateanalyses confirmed the significance of site and bumblebee sex to explain pesticide composition. Males from allsites exhibited higher chlorpyrifos levels than workers and this trend was similar for some OCP groups. Overall,OA differed from FH and OP, indicating a correlation between production modes and pesticide profiles. Thisstudy demonstrates the value of B. pauloensis as a pesticide biomonitor but also offers insights into its populations´ health in the area. In this sense, this information could be useful towards the preservation of this crucialpollinator.