Pharmaceutical pollution disrupts the behavior and predator-prey interactions of two widespread aquatic insects
Aneesh P.H. Bose,
Erin S. McCallum,
Mladen Avramović,
Michael G. Bertram,
Eva-Lotta Blom,
Daniel Cerveny,
Sara N. Grønlund,
Johan Leander,
Petter Lundberg,
Jake M. Martin,
Marcus Michelangeli,
Lo Persson,
Tomas Brodin
Affiliations
Aneesh P.H. Bose
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden; Corresponding author
Erin S. McCallum
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Mladen Avramović
University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, Vodnany, Czech Republic
Michael G. Bertram
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Eva-Lotta Blom
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Daniel Cerveny
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden; University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Zatisi 728/II, Vodnany, Czech Republic
Sara N. Grønlund
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden; Department of Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Universitetsvej 1, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Johan Leander
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Petter Lundberg
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Jake M. Martin
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Marcus Michelangeli
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Lo Persson
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Tomas Brodin
Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Västerbotten 907 36, Sweden
Summary: Pharmaceutical pollution represents a rapidly growing threat to ecosystems worldwide. Drugs are now commonly detected in the tissues of wildlife and have the potential to alter the natural expression of behavior, though relatively little is known about how pharmaceuticals impact predator-prey interactions. We conducted parallel laboratory experiments using larval odonates (dragonfly and damselfly nymphs) to investigate the effects of exposure to two pharmaceuticals, cetirizine and citalopram, and their mixture on the outcomes of predator-prey interactions. We found that exposure to both compounds elevated dragonfly activity and impacted their predation success and efficiency in complex ways. While exposure to citalopram reduced predation efficiency, exposure to cetirizine showed varied effects, with predation success being enhanced in some contexts but impaired in others. Our findings underscore the importance of evaluating pharmaceutical effects under multiple contexts and indicate that these compounds can affect predator-prey outcomes at sublethal concentrations.
