Common pesticide increases costs of antipredator defenses in Rana temporaria tadpoles.
Pesticides represent an important threat for natural populations. While their effects are assessed on short terms acute exposure, some of their harmful consequences may only become apparent when combined with other stressors, notably natural ones, such as predation. Here, we investigated in a laboratory experiment how exposure to a common fungicide (fenpropimorph) would affect the responses to predation in the common frog Rana temporaria. The concentrations of fungicide we used were comparable to those found in nature (0, 2, or 11 microg/L). The higher concentration of fungicide reduced tadpole activity late in the experiment, and only 7% of the tadpoles reached metamorphosis. In the lower concentration, the ability to respond adaptively to predator presence was not affected, but the costs (delayed metamorphosis, smaller relative body size) of this response were increased. Our results highlightthe need to investigate sublethal effects of pesticides on organismal performance if assessment of pesticides real impact is to be obtained.
Teplitsky
Céline
C
Department of Population Biology, Evolutionary Biology Center, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
Piha
Henna
H
Laurila
Anssi
A
Merilä
Juha
J
D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D005659:Fungicides, Industrial / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological; D009025:Morpholines / Q000633:toxicity*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D011896:Rana temporaria / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D005659:Fungicides, Industrial; D009025:Morpholines; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C050435:fenpropimorph