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Increased rodenticide exposure rate and risk of toxicosis in barn owls (Tyto alba) from southwestern Canada and linkage with demographic but not genetic factors

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Abstract

Among many anthropogenic drivers of population decline, continual rapid urbanization and industrialization pose major challenges for the survival of wildlife species. Barn owls (Tyto alba) in southwestern British Columbia (BC) face a multitude of threats ranging from habitat fragmentation to vehicle strikes. They are also at risk from secondary poisoning of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), a suite of toxic compounds which at high doses results in a depletion of blood clotting factors leading to internal bleeding and death. Here, using long-term data (N = 119) for the hepatic residue levels of SGAR, we assessed the risk of toxicosis from SGAR for the BC barn owl population over the past two decades. We also investigated whether sensitivity to SGAR is associated with genetic factors, namely Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) found in the CYP2C45 gene of barn owls. We found that residue concentration for total SGAR was significantly higher in 2006–2013 (141 ng/g) relative to 1992–2003 (57 ng/g). The proportion of owls exposed to multiple SGAR types was also significantly higher in 2006–2013. Those measures accordingly translate directly into an increase in toxicosis risk level. We also detected demographic differences, where adult females showed on average lower concentration of total SGAR (64 ng/g) when compared to adult males (106 ng/g). Juveniles were overall more likely to show signs of toxicosis than adults (33.3 and 6.9 %, respectively), and those symptoms were positively predicted by SGAR concentrations. We found no evidence that SNPs in the CYP2C45 gene of barn owls were associated with intraspecific variation in SGAR sensitivity. We recommend several preventative measures be taken to minimize wildlife exposure to SGAR.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the following agencies for submitting owl carcasses to our agency: the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL), Wildlife Rescue Association (WRA), and Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society (MARS). National Wildlife Research Centre staffs are thanked for specimen bank archiving and rodenticide residue analysis. All laboratory work took place at the Genetic Data Centre of UBC; we want to personally thank the research scientists (Carol Ritland, Allyson Miscampbell and Agnes Yuen) for providing their technical support and knowledge. This project was funded by the Pesticide Science Fund, the Science & Technology Branch, and the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada, and by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

Funding

The study was funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Grant number 402344-2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Andrew C. Huang & Kathy Martin

  2. Environment and Climate Change Canada (Science and Technology Branch), 5421 Robertson Rd, Delta, BC, V4K 3N2, Canada

    Andrew C. Huang, John E. Elliott, Sofi Hindmarch, Sandi L. Lee & Kathy Martin

  3. Avian Research Centre, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    John E. Elliott & Kimberly M. Cheng

  4. Environment Canada (Science and Technology Branch), National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada

    France Maisonneuve

  5. Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, 1767 Angus Campbell Rd, Abbotsford, BC, V3G 2M3, Canada

    Victoria Bowes

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  1. Andrew C. Huang
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Huang, A.C., Elliott, J.E., Hindmarch, S. et al. Increased rodenticide exposure rate and risk of toxicosis in barn owls (Tyto alba) from southwestern Canada and linkage with demographic but not genetic factors. Ecotoxicology 25, 1061–1071 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1662-6

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