Different herbicides are often applied to crops in combination and with surfactant additives yet the toxicity of combining these agrochemicals has rarely been assessed among beneficial non-target species such as spiders. Surfactants increase the adherence and absorption of herbicides through plant leaves but may also increase toxicity to spiders by enhancing penetration through eggsacs or the spider’s exoskeleton. We measured the separate and combined effects of the herbicides glufosinate and mesotrione with an organosilicone surfactant, Sil-fact®, on parental care, egg eclosion, and spiderling survival in the agrobiont wolf spider Tigrosa helluo. We applied water (control) or field doses of glufosinate, mesotrione, and Sil-fact in all combinations to spider eggsacs (eight treatments). We recorded initial eggsac acceptance after spraying, abandonment during incubation, and eclosion for all treatments over a 50-day period. We conducted a dye test to measure adherence and absorption of herbicides and surfactants into the eggsacs across the eight treatments. We also measured spiderling mortality when maintained on freshly sprayed soil or 3-day aged herbicide residue of mesotrione, glufosinate, or Sil-fact alone or in all combinations (15 treatments). We found no evidence of initial eggsac rejection or abandonment after eggsac across agrochemical treatments compared to the control. Some herbicide treatments showed significantly higher absorption but not adherence to the eggsac with more eggs containing herbicide tracer dye with some treatments. Exposure to fresh or aged glufosinate increased mortality among spiderlings while only aged Mesotrione residue significantly increased mortality. Sil-fact alone did not significantly increase mortality but acted synergistically or antagonistically with some herbicide treatments. Results indicate that mesotrione, glufosinate, and Sil-fact all impacted reproduction and that glufosinate and mesotrione are both powerful araneocides. The use of these herbicides and surfactants should be reconsidered in systems where spiders are used as biocontrol within integrated pest management systems.
Herbicide and Surfactant Effects on Eclosion and Spiderling Survival in the Wolf Spider Tigrosa helluo
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Student Abstract Submission