Declines in insectivorous birds are associated with high neonicotinoid concentrations

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Hallmann, Caspar A.; Foppen, Ruud P. B.; van Turnhout, Chris A. M.; de Kroon, Hans; Jongejans, Eelke

Source:

Nature, Nature Publishing Group, Volume 511, Issue 7509, p.341-343 plus figures and tables (2014)

Call Number:

A14HAL01IDUS

URL:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v511/n7509/full/nature13531.html#tables, http://www.iee.unibe.ch/cb/unibe/philnat/biology/zoologie/cb/content/e7117/e7118/e8764/e544693/e544699/Hallmann_Nature2014.pdf

Keywords:

insectivorous birds, neonicotinoid insecticide

Abstract:

Recent studies have shown that neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects on non-target invertebrate species. Invertebrates constitute a substantial part of the diet of many bird species during the breeding season and are indispensable for raising offspring. The authors investigated the hypothesis that the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, has a negative impact on insectivorous bird populations. Here they show that, in the Netherlands, local population trends were significantly more negative in areas with higher surface-water concentrations of imidacloprid. At imidacloprid concentrations of more than 20 nanograms per litre, bird populations tended to decline by 3.5 per cent on average annually. Additional analyses revealed that this spatial pattern of decline appeared only after the introduction of imidacloprid to the Netherlands, in the mid-1990s. The authors further show that the recent negative relationship remains after correcting for spatial differences in land-use changes that are known to affect bird populations in farmland. Results suggest that the impact of neonicotinoids on the natural environment is even more substantial than has recently been reported and is reminiscent of the effects of persistent insecticides in the past. Future legislation should take into account the potential cascading effects of neonicotinoids on ecosystems.