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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] [Fwd: [SANET-MG] Fwd: RoundupR Highly Lethal to Amphibians in Natural Setting, Finds University of Pittsburgh Researcher]
  • Date: Mon, 04 Apr 2005 14:52:51 -0400



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Fwd: RoundupR Highly Lethal to Amphibians in Natural Setting, Finds University of Pittsburgh Researcher
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 14:09:43 -0400
From: David Conner <connerda@CARRS.MSU.EDU>
Reply-To: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU



Has anyone else heard about this?
D-


David S. Conner, Ph.D.
Agricultural Economist
C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems
303 Natural Resources Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222

(517) 353-1914

connerd@msu.edu


-----Original Message-----



This article just out in the journal Ecological Applications...



Roundup(r) Highly Lethal to Amphibians in Natural Setting, Finds
University of Pittsburgh Researcher

Some species totally eliminated

PITTSBURGH-The herbicide Roundup(r) is widely used to eradicate weeds.
But a study published today by a University of Pittsburgh researcher
finds that the chemical may be eradicating much more than that.

Pitt assistant professor of biology Rick Relyea found that Roundup(r),
the second most commonly applied herbicide in the United States, is
"extremely lethal" to amphibians. This field experiment is one of the
most extensive studies on the effects of pesticides on nontarget
organisms in a natural setting, and the results may provide a key link
to global amphibian declines.

In a paper titled "The Impact of Insecticides and Herbicides on the
Biodiversity and Productivity of Aquatic Communities," published in
the journal Ecological Applications, Relyea examined how a pond's
entire community-25 species, including crustaceans, insects, snails,
and tadpoles-responded to the addition of the manufacturers'
recommended doses of two insecticides-Sevin(r) (carbaryl) and
malathion-and two herbicides-Roundup(r) (glyphosate) and 2,4-D.

Relyea found that Roundup(r) caused a 70 percent decline in amphibian
biodiversity and an 86 percent decline in the total mass of tadpoles.
Leopard frog tadpoles and gray tree frog tadpoles were completely
eliminated and wood frog tadpoles and toad tadpoles were nearly
eliminated. One species of frog, spring peepers, was unaffected.

"The most shocking insight coming out of this was that Roundup(r),
something designed to kill plants, was extremely lethal to
amphibians," said Relyea, who conducted the research at Pitt's
Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology. "We added Roundup(r), and the next
day
we looked in the tanks and there were dead tadpoles all over the
bottom."
Relyea initially conducted the experiment to see whether the
Roundup(r)
would have an indirect effect on the frogs by killing their food
source, the algae. However, he found that Roundup(r), although an
herbicide, actually increased the amount of algae in the pond because
it killed most of the frogs.

"It's like killing all the cows in a field and seeing that the field
has more grass in it-not because you made the grass grow better, but
because you killed everything that eats grass," he said.

Previous research had found that the lethal ingredient in Roundup(r)
was
not the herbicide itself, glyphosate, but rather the surfactant, or
detergent, that allows the herbicide to penetrate the waxy surfaces of
plants. In Roundup(r), that surfactant is a chemical called
polyehtoxylated tallowamine. Other herbicides have less dangerous
surfactants: For example, Relyea's study found that 2,4-D had no
effect on tadpoles.

"We've repeated the experiment, so we're confident that this is, in
fact, a repeatable result that we see," said Relyea. "It's fair to say
that nobody would have guessed Roundup(r) was going to be so lethal to
amphibians."

###
4/1/05/tmw
----- End forwarded message -----





  • [permaculture] [Fwd: [SANET-MG] Fwd: RoundupR Highly Lethal to Amphibians in Natural Setting, Finds University of Pittsburgh Researcher], Lawrence F. London, Jr., 04/04/2005

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