Data from: What is there to gain and lose from plant-derived nano-enabled pesticides: Eugenol-loaded nanocarriers exert long-lived effects on non-target freshwater invertebrate communities

Nanocarriers are attracting growing interest as transport and delivery
systems for agrochemicals. Non-target effects associated with their use
have however remained characterized to only a limited extent. The current
study comprised a long-term impact assessment of eugenol-loaded clay
nanocarriers on naturally established communities of freshwater
macroinvertebrates, zooplankton, and emerging insects. Assessments took
place in outdoor mesocosms to which eugenol was applied at nominal
concentrations of 20 and 200 μg L-1, and effects from the
nanocarrier-based formulation were evaluated at concentrations equivalent
to those from its active substance. Both concentrations of eugenol
adversely affected turnover, replacement, and emergence rates across
various taxa, and effects were most pronounced and long-lived when eugenol
was applied via the nanocarrier-based formulation. Effects on zooplankton
communities and insect emergence rates persisted throughout the 49-day
experimental period, while effects on macroinvertebrate communities were
limited to the first 7 days following treatment application. The presented
datasets comprise (1), in vitro and in situ characterization and
fate data from eugenol and eugenol-loaded sepiolite nanocarriers, (2)
community composition data from macroinvertebrates, zooplankton, and
emerging insects, and (3) water chemistry data.