Effects of Agrochemicals on Freshwater Macroinvertebrates: Challenges and Perspectives from Southeastern Brazil

The aquatic environment is a dynamic product of complex interactions among biotic and abiotic factors. Alterations in their chemical and physical characteristics may directly affect their biological activities, compromising ecosystem functioning and the provisioning of ecosystem services that depend on biodiversity. In the last five decades, agriculture expansion and agrochemical utilization have increased following food demand. The trend is anticipated to continue due to factors like population growth, the emergence of new pests, and the use of biofuels. The increasing application of agrochemicals is an emerging threat to aquatic ecosystems due to their constant entry into water bodies and their high toxicity. Here, we present a brief synthesis of the effects of agrochemicals in freshwater systems, mainly their impacts on an important biological component of aquatic biota, the macroinvertebrates. We also present some key points about the use of different endpoints, such as biologic interactions and genetic diversity loss, in ecotoxicological analyses and determination of new test organisms to be explored and standardized for tropical regions.