IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURAL PESTICIDES ON AMAZONIAN POLLINATORS AND INVERTEBRATES

The Amazon's exceptional biodiversity depends heavily on invertebrates, especially pollinators and aquatic macroinvertebrates for pollination, decomposition, nutrient cycling, and biological control. The expansion of agricultural frontiers has intensified pesticide use, exposing non-target organisms via systemic residues in nectar, pollen, and guttation droplets, as well as spray drift and runoff into aquatic systems. This chapter synthesizes, in an accessible format, the ecological risks of pesticide use in the Amazon for pollinators and other invertebrates, and their implications for ecosystem services. Most-studied taxa include stingless bees (Meliponini), Africanized honey bees, solitary bees, and aquatic groups (Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Odonata, Chironomidae), plus crustaceans and mollusks used as bioindicators. Commonly reported pesticides include insecticides (neonicotinoids, organophosphates), herbicides (notably glyphosate), fungicides (strobilurins), and realistic mixtures. Documented effects range from acute mortality to sublethal impacts—disorientation, impaired flight and foraging, oxidative stress, gut damage, and reproductive dysfunction. At the community level, field and mesocosm studies show reduced richness and loss of sensitive taxa, especially in runoff-affected aquatic systems. These findings signal substantial risks to pollination, natural pest control, and aquatic ecosystem integrity. Mitigation pathways discussed include agroecological practices, integrated pest management, riparian buffer preservation, stronger monitoring, and improved regulation and education.