Effects of Dietary Intake of Volcanic ash from Puyehue Cordon Caulle on Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Larvae under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract

The Puyehue Cordon Caulle volcanic outbreak from 2011 affected the Patagonian Region of Argentina. The insecticidal effect of volcanic ash, as well as other inert dusts, has been proven to occur by contact exposure, disturbing the water balance in insects. However, little has been studied on sublethal effects of volcanic ash or inert dusts on coleopterans through chronic dietary intake. The aim of this study was to gain further understanding on the impact of volcanism on tenebrionid larvae by studying the chronic dietary exposure of volcanic ash in laboratory bioassays. For this purpose, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), an insect pest of stored grain, was used as an experimental model organism. Larvae were fed with flour discs prepared with volcanic ash at 500, 1,000, 5,000, 30,000, and 50,000 ppm. Chronic dietary intake of volcanic ash was dose-dependent, with effects visible after long-term exposure (15 and 27 d). Mortality was observed at the two highest concentrations tested (30,000 and 50,000 ppm). At the lower concentrations (500, 1,000, and 5,000 ppm), sub-lethal effects were observed, including larval size decrease, weight loss, and reduction in the number of molts. Thus, chronic dietary intake of volcanic ash causes adverse effects on T. molitor larvae that leads to mortality at high concentrations and decrease of larval size at sub-lethal concentrations.