Impact of Tebuconazole On the Development and Symbiotic Microbial Communities of Pardosa Pseudoannulata

Tebuconazole is a widely used triazole fungicide to control fungal diseases. While there have been reported side effects on non-target arthropods, its ecological risks to natural enemies remain poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated the developmental toxicity and symbiotic microorganism responses of the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata, an important predator in rice ecosystems, following exposure to tebuconazole. The results indicated that tebuconazole did not significantly increase the mortality rate of spiderlings; however, it did lead to a significant decrease in spiderling body weight, as well as the length and width of the carapace. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 regions and the ITS region revealed that tebuconazole significantly reduced bacterial diversity indices in the short term, with a gradual recovery over time. In contrast, the impact on the fungal community was continuous and irreversible, with a significant decrease in the Shannon index observed after 15 days. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Cupriavidus and Staphylococcus in the bacterial community decreased significantly after tebuconazole exposure, while Stenotrophomonas increased. In the fungal community, Fungi_gen_Incertae_sedis decreased significantly, and Simplicillium increased. Our findings highlight the ecological risks of fungicide exposure to beneficial predators and underscore the importance of considering symbiotic microbiota in pesticide risk assessments.