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Lethal toxicity of the herbicides acetochlor, ametryn, glyphosate and metribuzin to tropical frog larvae

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Abstract

Despite the high amphibian biodiversity and increasing pesticide use in tropical countries, knowledge on the sensitivity of tropical amphibians to pesticides remains limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity of the active ingredients of four of the main herbicides used in Brazilian sugarcane production to tadpoles of two tropical frog species: Physalaemus cuvieri and Hypsiboas pardalis. The calculated 96 h-LC50 (median lethal concentration; in mg a.s./L) values for P. cuvieri and H. pardalis were 4.4 and 7.8 (acetochlor); 15 and <10 (ametryn); 115 and 106 (glyphosate); and 85 and 68 (metribuzin), respectively. These toxicity values demonstrated little interspecies variation and the toxicity of the herbicides appeared to be at least partly related with the respective octanol-water coefficient. Published acute toxicity data of fish and amphibians for herbicides were also compiled from the US-EPA ECOTOX database. These data indicated little difference in herbicide sensitivity between tropical amphibians and both non-tropical amphibians and fish. These findings indicate that temperate (fish and amphibian) herbicide toxicity data are also protective for tropical amphibians. Constraints in such extrapolations and indications for future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We thank ICMBio (ICMBio 17559) and the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo for collection permits, São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for a scholarship to M. Moutinho (2011/05280-6), and FAPESP Bioenergy Research Program (Young Researcher Award 2008/57939-9) and FAPESP Global Climate Change Research Program (Thematic Project 2015/18790-3) for funding this research. This work was also supported by the Portuguese government (FCT) through a postdoc grant for M. Daam (SFRH/BPD/109199/2015) and the research unit UID/AMB/04085/2019 (CENSE).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CENSE, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, New University of Lisbon, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal

    Michiel A. Daam

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Mariana F. Moutinho

  3. NEEA/CRHEA/SHS, São Carlos Engineering School, University of São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São Carlense, 400, São Carlos, 13.560-970, Brazil

    Evaldo L. G. Espíndola

  4. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Luis Schiesari

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  1. Michiel A. Daam
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  3. Evaldo L. G. Espíndola
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Correspondence to Luis Schiesari.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. The permit for collection, transport and storage of the test animals used in this study was provided by IBAMA/ICMBio (permit number 17559-1) and the tests conducted were approved by the ethical Commission of the Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo (Protocol 039/2007).

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Daam, M.A., Moutinho, M.F., Espíndola, E.L.G. et al. Lethal toxicity of the herbicides acetochlor, ametryn, glyphosate and metribuzin to tropical frog larvae. Ecotoxicology 28, 707–715 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-019-02067-5

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