title: Acute and chronic sensitivity, avoidance behavior and sensitive life stages of bullfrog tadpoles exposed to the biopesticide abamectin.
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.
authors.affiliation: NEEA/CRHEA, São Carlos Engineering School, University of São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São Carlense, 400, São Carlos, 13.560-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.affiliation: NEEA/CRHEA, São Carlos Engineering School, University of São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São Carlense, 400, São Carlos, 13.560-970, Brazil. michieldaam@gmail.com.|CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-191, Aveiro, Portugal. michieldaam@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Michiel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Daam
authors.affiliation: Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Liliana R A
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.affiliation: NEEA/CRHEA, São Carlos Engineering School, University of São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São Carlense, 400, São Carlos, 13.560-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana L M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Sanches
authors.affiliation: Central Department of Research (DCI), Ecuadorian Aquatic Ecotoxicology (ECUACTOX) Group, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí (ULEAM), Manta, Ecuador.|Centre of Functional Ecology (CFE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cristiano V M
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: NEEA/CRHEA, São Carlos Engineering School, University of São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador São Carlense, 400, São Carlos, 13.560-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Evaldo L G
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Espíndola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D061046:Biological Control Agents; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology*; D011892:Rana catesbeiana / Q000502:physiology; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D061046:Biological Control Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C048324:abamectin; D007559:Ivermectin
keywords: Abamectin; Amphibians; Aquatic ecotoxicology; Bioassays; Environmental risk assessment; Lithobates catesbeianus