<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Addition of low concentrations of metal ions to the diet of saprophagous insects can impact on their metabolism over a short period of time, causing an increase or decrease in their body mass. This article presents a 14-day laboratory experiment evaluating the changes in the body mass of larval stage 3 of <italic>Tenebrio molitor (</italic>Linnaeus, 1758) induced by adding different inorganic substances (350 mg kg<sup>−1</sup> of dry fodder) to the diet of the larvae. Following the addition of inorganic substances to the fodder, the most marked differences compared to the control were observed in the groups which consumed substrate with lead nitrate (the mass of the larvae increased on average by 102.6% compared to increase in mass in the control variant of the experiments), cobalt nitrate (by 96.9%), calcium chloride (by 89.1%) sodium triphosphate (by 86.0%), zinc chloride (by 83.5%). A nonsignificant effect (a tendency of increase in the body mass) on <italic>T. molitor</italic> larvae was caused by manganese sulfate (by 57.8%), aluminium nitrate (by 57.3%), iron oxide (by 51.5%), barium nitrate (by 47.9%), orthophosphoric acid (by 47.4%), manganese chloride (by 46.5%), calcium carbonate (by 27.7%), iron sulfate (by 24.2%) and ammonium heptamolybdate (by –7.5%). Therefore, 5 out of the 15 studied inorganic substances significantly stimulated the increase in the body weight of <italic>T. molitor</italic> larvae, and 7 manifested these capacities at the level of tendency (stimulated an increase in body weight averaging 43–58% over the 14-day experiment). The obtained data indicate a necessity for further study on the impact of inorganic pollutants on different stages of insects.</p></abstract>

Addition of low concentrations of metal ions to the diet of saprophagous insects can impact on their metabolism over a short period of time, causing an increase or decrease in their body mass. This article presents a 14-day laboratory experiment evaluating the changes in the body mass of larval stage 3 of Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, 1758) induced by adding different inorganic substances (350 mg kg−1 of dry fodder) to the diet of the larvae. Following the addition of inorganic substances to the fodder, the most marked differences compared to the control were observed in the groups which consumed substrate with lead nitrate (the mass of the larvae increased on average by 102.6% compared to increase in mass in the control variant of the experiments), cobalt nitrate (by 96.9%), calcium chloride (by 89.1%) sodium triphosphate (by 86.0%), zinc chloride (by 83.5%). A nonsignificant effect (a tendency of increase in the body mass) on T. molitor larvae was caused by manganese sulfate (by 57.8%), aluminium nitrate (by 57.3%), iron oxide (by 51.5%), barium nitrate (by 47.9%), orthophosphoric acid (by 47.4%), manganese chloride (by 46.5%), calcium carbonate (by 27.7%), iron sulfate (by 24.2%) and ammonium heptamolybdate (by –7.5%). Therefore, 5 out of the 15 studied inorganic substances significantly stimulated the increase in the body weight of T. molitor larvae, and 7 manifested these capacities at the level of tendency (stimulated an increase in body weight averaging 43–58% over the 14-day experiment). The obtained data indicate a necessity for further study on the impact of inorganic pollutants on different stages of insects.

The impact of some inorganic substances on change in body mass of <italic>Tenebrio molitor</italic> (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) larvae in a laboratory experiment

Department of Zoology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Ecology

Folia Oecologica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The impact of some inorganic substances on change in body mass of  (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) larvae in a laboratory experiment

Addition of low concentrations of metal ions to the diet of saprophagous insects can impact on their metabolism over a short period of time, causing an...

The impact of some inorganic substances on change in body mass of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) larvae in a laboratory experiment

Published Online: Jun 19, 2018

Page range: 24 - 32

Received: Dec 12, 2017

Accepted: Apr 04, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2018-0003

Keywords
body mass, heavy metal pollution, larvae, Tenebrionidae

© 2018 Vladyslav O. Martynov et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The impact of some inorganic substances on change in body mass of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) larvae in a laboratory experiment

Published Online: Jun 19, 2018

Page range: 24 - 32

Received: Dec 12, 2017

Accepted: Apr 04, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2018-0003

Keywordsbody mass, heavy metal pollution, larvae, Tenebrionidae

© 2018 Vladyslav O. Martynov et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
body mass, heavy metal pollution, larvae, Tenebrionidae