Heavy metal pollution is an increasingly serious problem in agricultural ecosystems. Zinc accumulation in the food chain may harm the physiological functions of organisms, including herbivorous and predatory insects. Its effects on development and reproduction in Harmonia axyridis are largely unknown. In this study, five Zn solutions (25, 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg) plus control (0 mg/kg) were used to treat broad beans and to water the resulting seedlings. Aphids fed on these seedlings were eaten by H. axyridis ladybugs. Zn accumulation was found at all three trophic levels. Compared with the control group, ladybugs in the 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg groups had significantly reduced weight gain from the 4^th instar to adulthood. Pupae and larvae (instars 1–4) in the 150 mg/kg group had the lowest survival of any group; pupal mortality in the 100 mg/kg group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Under Zn stress, female adults had inhibited expression of Vg1, Vg2 and VgR, reducing egg production and hatchability. Zn thus negatively affected their fertility. These results provide a theoretical basis for future exploration of soil heavy metal pollution impacts in ecosystems.

重金属污染是农业生态系统中日益严重的问题。食物链中锌的积累可能会损害包括草食性和捕食性昆虫在内的生物的生理功能。其对异色和谐虫的生长和繁殖的影响在很大程度上是未知的。在这项研究中，使用五种锌溶液（25、50、100和150 mg / kg）加上对照（0 mg / kg）来处理蚕豆并浇水。以这些幼苗为食的蚜虫被H. axyridis瓢虫吃掉了。在所有三个营养水平都发现了锌的积累。与对照组相比，在25，50和100mg / kg的组瓢虫已显著降低的增益从4重量^个成年后的新星。150 mg / kg组的up和幼虫（1-4龄幼虫）存活率最低。100 mg / kg组的mortality死亡率显着高于对照组。在锌胁迫下，成年雌性抑制了Vg1，Vg2和VgR的表达，降低了产卵量和孵化率。锌因此不利地影响了他们的生育能力。这些结果为今后探索土壤重金属污染对生态系统的影响提供了理论依据。