Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms

Abstract

Abstract Although intended to control pests, pesticides affect a phylogenetically diverse range of non-target species contributing to global biodiversity declines1–7. However, the magnitude of this risk is only partly understood. Here, we show that pesticides negatively affect non-target organisms across the tree of life. We analyzed 26,096 effect sizes from 1,705 studies reporting effects of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides on growth, reproduction, behaviour, and other biomarkers of non-target terrestrial and aquatic taxa. Pesticides negatively affected invertebrate and vertebrate animals, seed and spore-producing plants, as well as bacteria and fungi. Pesticides formulated to target a particular taxon negatively affected phylogenetically distant groups, e.g. insecticidal neonicotinoids impacted amphibians, fish, mammals and monocotyledonous plants. The effects were evident for field-realistic exposures, were more pronounced in temperate than tropical regions, and were consistent in magnitude for exposure in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The detection of strong detrimental effects of pesticides across a wide range of non-target organisms questions current regulatory practices. Adoption of sustainable management practices (e.g. agricultural ecological intensification, integrated pest management, and non-pesticide control) may help balance food security alongside reducing dependencies on pesticide with their associated risks to nature.