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Acute and chronic sensitivity, avoidance behavior and sensitive life stages of bullfrog tadpoles exposed to the biopesticide abamectin

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Abstract

As compared to other aquatic organism groups, relatively few studies have been conducted so far evaluating the toxicity of pesticides to amphibians. This may at least partly be due to the fact that regulations for registering pesticides usually do not require testing amphibians. The sensitivity of amphibians is generally considered to be covered by that based on toxicity tests with other aquatic organisms (e.g. fish) although the impact of a pesticide on amphibians may be very different. In the present study, acute and chronic laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the acute and chronic toxicity of abamectin (as Vertimec® 18EC) to bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) tadpoles. Acute tests were conducted at two tadpole stages (Gosner stage 21G and 25G) and avoidance tests were also conducted with stage Gosner stage 21G tadpoles. Calculated acute toxicity values were greater than those reported for standard fish test species, hence supporting the use of fish toxicity data as surrogates for amphibians in acute risk assessments. Given the limited number and extent of available amphibian toxicity studies, however, research needs to increase our understanding of pesticide toxicity to amphibians are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was funded by the Brazilian government through a PhD scholarship for the first author (CNPq) and the Special Visiting Researcher program (MEC/MCTI/CAPES/CNPq/FAPs reference 402392/2013-2). The authors are also indebted to FCT (Portugal, reference SFRH/BPD/74044/2010) and SENESCYT (Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, Ecuador) for scholarships for CVM Araújo and to colleagues from the Ecotoxicology Laboratory of the Centro de Energia Nuclear da Agricultura (CENA; Valdemar Tornisielo and Rodrigo Pimpinato) for chemical analysis of abamectin and to the staff at NEEA/CRHEA for their technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Ana M. Vasconcelos, Michiel A. Daam, Ana L. M. Sanches & Evaldo L. G. Espíndola

  2. CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-191, Aveiro, Portugal

    Michiel A. Daam

  3. Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal

    Liliana R. A. dos Santos

  4. Central Department of Research (DCI), Ecuadorian Aquatic Ecotoxicology (ECUACTOX) Group, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí (ULEAM), Manta, Ecuador

    Cristiano V. M. Araújo

  5. Centre of Functional Ecology (CFE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Cristiano V. M. Araújo

Authors
  1. Ana M. Vasconcelos
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  2. Michiel A. Daam
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  3. Liliana R. A. dos Santos
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  4. Ana L. M. Sanches
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  5. Cristiano V. M. Araújo
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  6. Evaldo L. G. Espíndola
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Correspondence to Michiel A. Daam.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Vasconcelos, A.M., Daam, M.A., dos Santos, L.R.A. et al. Acute and chronic sensitivity, avoidance behavior and sensitive life stages of bullfrog tadpoles exposed to the biopesticide abamectin. Ecotoxicology 25, 500–509 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-015-1608-4

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