Impacts of Agriculture and Pesticides on Amphibian Terrestrial Life Stages: Potential Biomonitor/Bioindicator Species for the Pampa Region of Argentina.

JULIE C. BRODEUR; JOSEFINA VERA CANDIOTI

Ecotoxicology and Genotoxicology: Non-traditional Terrestrial Models

Royal Society of Chemistry

Año: 2017; p. 163 - 194

In the midst of the global biodiversity crisis, amphibians are the most threatened and rapidly decliningvertebrate group. Modern agricultureis increasingly involved in the amphibian decline as agricultural expansion andintensification is causing pesticide contamination together with habitat lossand fragmentation. In Argentina, the Pampa region consists ofa vast grassy plain rich in lakes and ponds where agriculture and cattleranching dominate. Over the last forty years, the region has experienced agreat expansion of cultivated surface as well as an intensification of theproduction through the use of fertilizers and pesticides The gradual transformationof the landscape is likely to impact the regional herpetofauna. As amphibiansare key elements of food chains, whole ecosystems may eventually be altered byamphibian declines. The biomonitoring of selected amphibian populations is auseful tool to provide information on the statusand health of amphibian communities and the ecosystem in general. In thecurrent chapter, we propose the use of five amphibian species as potentialamphibian models for biomonitoring environmental quality in the Pampa region ofArgentina. The characteristics and life history of the species are described,as well as current antecedents surrounding their use as bioindicators andbiomonitors.