[permaculture] [Fwd: Re: [SANET-MG] Disappearing amphibians: agrochemicals implicated]

Lawrence F. London, Jr. lflj at intrex.net
Sat Nov 1 18:02:19 EDT 2008


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] Disappearing amphibians: agrochemicals implicated
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:08:48 -0000
From: John D'hondt <dhondt at EIRCOM.NET>
To: SANET-MG at LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU


I find it amazing that once more glyphosate escapes being named in this "new
scientific" study. I have not done systematic research on this but I have
seen sprayed fields that had an abundance of frogs go completely frogless
within days.
And more in general I think it is enormously damaging the way the possible
reasons of a species disappearing being mixed up, fogged over, put in the
blender and then details ashed over.
A year ago it was fungal diseases that were blamed and nitrogen fertilizer
for tadpole death. Now it is trematodes and just a very few pesticides. The
truth is that disappearance of frogs worldwide happens because of a mixture
of many reasons. Just as the honey bee and wild pollinators are getting it
in the neck because of general deterioration of our environment.

I am willing to bet my hat and my boots that narry a man made chemical can
be found that does not damage frogs or honey bees for that matter. Frogs and
fish (more than 700 species of fresh water fish in the US expected to
disappear in the next 20 years) are indicators of how good or how bad fresh
water supplies are!
Please revisit "Silent Spring" before everything goes silent without
"scientists" noticing.
john

Hello folks,

The following editor's summary in the current issue of Nature may be of
interest...

Joel

******************************************************************

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v455/n7217/edsumm/e081030-12.html

Editor's Summary

30 October 2008

Disappearing amphibians: agrochemicals implicated
________________________________


Declining amphibian populations have been reported in
the past twenty years from locations all over the world. These events
have been attributed variously — often without much evidence — to
habitat loss, climate change and disease. Now a case study of the
northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens, in wetlands across
Minnesota points to the use of agrochemicals — combined with parasitic
infestation — as a contributor to population decline. The study sought
factors associated with the abundance of larval trematodes in the
frogs. An abundance of these parasites can be debilitating, causing
limb malformation, kidney damage and death. Of more than 240 plausible
predictors of trematode infection — ranging from the presence of
various plant and animal species to agrochemicals and habitat geography
— two stood out: the herbicide atrazine and the fertilizer, phosphate.
Atrazine and phosphate are principal agrochemicals for corn and sorghum
production, and together they accounted for 74% of the variation in
trematode abundance.

Letter: Agrochemicals increase trematode infections in a declining amphibian
species

Jason R. Rohr,
Anna M. Schotthoefer,
Thomas R. Raffel,
Hunter J. Carrick,
Neal Halstead,
Jason T. Hoverman,
Catherine M. Johnson,
Lucinda B. Johnson,
Camilla Lieske,
Marvin D. Piwoni,
Patrick K. Schoff
&
Val R. Beasley


Joel Gruver
Dept of Agriculture
Western Illinois University
jgruv at hotmail.com




More information about the permaculture mailing list