Effects of Toxic Organic Compounds on <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> and Its Parasite <i>Gregarina steini</i>
Environmental pollution by toxic compounds affects various species of living organisms, their life cycles, and symbiotic relationships. This study investigated the host-parasite relationship between <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) and <i>Gregarina...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/5/453 |
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| Summary: | Environmental pollution by toxic compounds affects various species of living organisms, their life cycles, and symbiotic relationships. This study investigated the host-parasite relationship between <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) and <i>Gregarina steini</i> Berthold, 1827 (Eugregarinorida, Gregarinida) under exposure to aniline, formaldehyde, and o-xylene at different concentrations. For laboratory studies, 480 larvae of <i>T. molitor</i> and five concentrations of the studied organic compounds were used. Groups of <i>T. molitor</i>, each consisting of ten individuals, were subjected to the tested compounds for 10 days following the initial weight measurement. We measured the body weight and survival rate of <i>T. molitor</i> and the number of <i>G. steini</i> in them to assess the impact of the tested organic compounds on the host-parasite relationship. For all the compounds studied, a decrease in body weight and high mortality were observed in <i>T. molitor</i> at high concentrations. The lethality of the studied organic compounds was concentration-dependent. o-Xylene showed low toxicity at lower concentrations (10.4 and 26.0 mg/kg of feed), with a survival rate of 93.3% and 86.7%, respectively. At a concentration of 10.4 mg/kg, no lethal cases in <i>T. molitor</i> were observed. At higher concentrations (78 and 104 mg/kg feed), <i>T. molitor</i> mortality significantly increased to 33.3% and 53.3%, respectively. |
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| ISSN: | 2079-7737 |