Pesticides in the real world: The consequences of GMO-based intensive agriculture on native amphibians.

G. AGOSTINI; I. ROESLER; C. BONETTO; D. BILENCA

BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020

0006-3207

Pesticide use has been suggested as one of the major drivers of the global amphibian decline. Laboratory andmesocosm studies have addressed several questions to understand the mechanism by which pesticides causedetrimental effects on amphibians. However, the extrapolation of those results to natural populations may not beadequate to predict environmental impacts or to understand the role of pesticides in the amphibian decline. Byusing in situ enclosures, we evaluated the effects (survival and mobility) of common pesticides applied byfarmers (cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos, endosulfan, glyphosate, and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) on tadpoles.We assessed these effects in four common amphibian species from South America across 91 ponds located in thePampas of central Argentina. We found that survival decreased in 13 out of 20 pesticides applications concomitantlywith detection of pesticides in water ponds. 48 h after applications, mixtures containing endosulfanor chlorpyrifos reduced tadpole survival to