Are Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Transferred from Plants to the Aphid Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae)?

Abstract

In the last 20 yr, the production of nanoparticles has increased, although their effects on organisms and the environment are not well understood. This research evaluated the transfer of cerium oxide (nano-CeO2) nanoparticles in a terrestrial trophic chain formed by the producer Nicandra physaloides (L.) Gaertn. (Solanaceae) and a primary consumer, green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a generalist insect pest. Nicandra physaloides plants were treated by foliar spraying with nano-CeO2 (25 nm) aqueous suspensions (1, 10, 100, and 1,000 mg Ce L-1) and fed to the green peach aphid (M. persicae). The survival and fecundity of insects were evaluated. Microprobe X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to verify the presence of Ce in plants and insects. It was possible to verify Ce in the oral cavity and digestive system of aphids fed on leaves previously treated with nano-CeO2 (1,000 mg CeL-1). Despite the transfer of Ce in this terrestrial trophic chain, the nanoparticles did not reduce survival and fecundity of aphids.