GMO Research
Abstract: The global decline in amphibian diversity has become an international environmental problem with a multitude of possible causes. There is evidence that pesticides may play a role, yet few pesticides have been tested on amphibians. For example, Roundup is a globally common herbicide that is conventionally thought to be nonlethal to amphibians. However, Roundup …
Abstract: The herbicide glyphosate, sold under a variety of commercial names including Roundup ® and Vision ® , has long been viewed as an environmentally friendly herbicide. In the 1990s, however, after nearly 20 years of use, the first tests were conducted on the herbicide’s effects on amphibians in Australia. The researchers found that the herbicide …
Abstract: The world wide and continuously increasing contamination of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with pesticides and other agrochemicals is considered as a main factor causing global amphibian declines. Glyphosate, the most commonly used nonselective systemic herbicide, is sold under a variety of commercial names (e. g. Roundup® and Vision®), and is promoted by the introduction …
Abstract: Toxicity assessments on nontarget organisms have largely been addressed using short‐term, single‐species laboratory experiments. Although extremely helpful, these experiments inherently lack many pervasive ecological stressors found in nature. Though a substantial challenge, incorporating these ecological stressors in contaminant studies would shed light on potential synergistic effects. For the world’s leading herbicide, glyphosate, we know …
Abstract: One of the most widely used herbicides for commercial and home use is glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® Regular. We examined toxicity of the herbicide Roundup® on 6 amphibian species: Ambystoma gracile, Ambystoma macrodactylum, Anaxyrus [Bufo] boreas, Pseudacris regilla, Rana cascadae, and Rana luteiventris. Larvae were exposed to 6 different Roundup® Regular treatments …
Abstract: With the increased use of glyphosate-based herbicides (marketed under several names, including Roundup and Vision), there has been a concomitant increased concern about the unintended impacts that particular formulations containing the popular surfactant polyethoxylated tallowamine (POEA) might have on amphibians. Published studies have examined a relatively small number of anuran species (primarily from Australia and …
Abstract: The widespread application of pesticides has attracted the attention of ecologists as we struggle to understand the impacts of these chemicals on natural communities. While we have a large number of laboratory-based, single-species studies of pesticides, such studies can only examine direct effects. However, in natural communities, species can experience both direct and indirect …
Abstract: The widespread use of pesticides raises the possibility that non-target organisms might also be affected. To assess this, the traditional approach has been to conduct short-term laboratory experiments spanning a range of lethal concentrations and some longer-duration experiments at sublethal concentrations. While this approach has been very useful, less attention has been paid to …
Abstract: The use of pesticides is important for growing crops and protecting human health by reducing the prevalence of targeted pest species. However, less attention is given to the potential unintended effects on nontarget species, including taxonomic groups that are of current conservation concern. One issue raised in recent years is the potential for pesticides …
Abstract: The decline in amphibians across the globe has sparked a search for the causes, and recent evidence suggests a connection with pesticides. However, for most pesticides, tests on amphibians are rare and conducted only for short durations (1 to 4 days) and without natural stressors. Recent studies have discovered that the stress of predator …
Abstract: Effects of exposure to contaminants such as pesticides along with exposure to pathogens have been listed as two major contributors to the global crisis of declining amphibian populations. These two factors have also been linked in explanations of the causes of these population declines. We conducted a combined exposure experiment to test the hypothesis …
Abstract: Soybean fields provide habitats for many species of amphibians. However, the persistence and health of amphibian populations may be at risk from the increasing use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. We examined the activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and carboxylesterases (CbEs) in 11 syntopic species of larval anurans. In vitro effects of …
Abstract: The acute toxicity of two herbicide formulations, namely, the 57.71 % dicamba (DIC)-based Banvel® and the 48 % glyphosate (GLY)-based Credit®, alone as well as the binary mixture of these herbicides was evaluated on late-stage Rhinella arenarum larvae (stage 36) exposed under laboratory conditions. Mortality was used as an endpoint for determining acute lethal …
Abstract: Background Many agricultural contaminants disrupt endocrine systems of wildlife. However, evidence of endocrine disruption in wild amphibians living in agricultural areas has been controversial. Typically, studies on the effects of pollutants on wildlife attempt to compare polluted with unpolluted sites. Objectives We took a novel approach to address this question by explicitly quantifying the …
Abstract: Laboratory and field studies provide evidence that pesticides may play a role in population declines, range reductions and species extinctions of amphibians. The present study examined the acute and chronic toxicity of four commonly used agricultural pesticides, chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, glyphosate and propanil on the survival, growth and development of malformations in the Asian common …
Abstract: The global decline of amphibians has sparked interest in the role that pesticides may play. Pesticides in nature typically exist in combinations, but given the vast number of chemicals used, most toxicological experiments necessarily have examined one pesticide at a time. I examined how four commercial formulations of pesticides (diazinon, carbaryl, malathion, and glyphosate) affected …
Abstract: Roundup™ is a commonly used pesticide applied to agriculture and forest habitats. These areas are generally ideal for amphibians due to the presence of small, ephemeral water bodies. While Roundup™ has been shown to have lethal effects on many species of amphibians, effects on behaviour and sensory perception have yet to be considered. Here, …
Abstract: The responses of five North American frog species that were exposed in an aqueous system to the original formulation of Roundup were compared. Carefully designed and un-confounded laboratory toxicity tests are crucial for accurate assessment of potential risks from the original formulation of Roundup to North American amphibians in aquatic environments. The formulated mixture …
Abstract: The aerial spraying of glyphosate formulations in Colombia to eradicate illegal crops has generated great concern about its possible impact on nontarget organisms, particularly amphibians. This study evaluated the toxic, cytotoxic, and genotoxic effects of a glyphosate formulation (Roundup®SL-Cosmoflux®411F) in the direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus johnstonei by estimating the median lethal application rate (LC50 ), …
Abstract: Pesticides and herbicides gained popularity due to a strong need to curb the starvation of billions of humans. Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide and was considered to be non-toxic. But its use in excess in agricultural lands has polluted soils and waters. Nowadays, glyphosate residues are found in soil, water and food. …
Abstract: Glyphosate-based herbicides are leading products of the current pesticide market, and this trend has further strengthened outside Europe with the spread of glyphosate-tolerant GM crops. Glyphosate forms complexes with metal ions (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn) in the soil, but precipitation washes it into deeper soil layers. Its primary metabolite, AMPA, is more mobile than …
Abstract: Background. By statute or regulation in the United States and elsewhere, pesticide ingredients are divided into two categories: active and inert (sometimes referred to as other ingredients, adjuvants, or coformulants). Despite their name, inert ingredients may be biologically or chemically active and are labeled inert only because of their function in the formulated product. …
