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Herbicides employed in sugarcane plantations have lethal and sublethal effects to larval Boana pardalis (Amphibia, Hylidae)

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Abstract

The increasing demand for biofuels favored the expansion of sugarcane and, as a consequence, in the consumption of pesticides in Brazil. Amphibians are subject to pesticide exposure for occurring in or around sugarcane fields, and for breeding at the onset of the rainy season when pesticide consumption is common. We tested the hypothesis that herbicides used in sugarcane crops, although employed for weed control and manipulated at doses recommended by the manufacturers, can cause lethal and sublethal effects on amphibian larvae. Boana pardalis was exposed to glyphosate, ametryn, 2,4-D, metribuzin and acetochlor which account to up to 2/3 of the volume of herbicides employed in sugarcane production. High mortality was observed following prolonged exposure to ametryn (76%), acetochlor (68%) and glyphosate (15%); ametryn in addition significantly reduced activity rates and slowed developmental and growth rates. AChE activity was surprisingly stimulated by glyphosate, ametryn and 2,4-D, and GST activity by ametryn and acetochlor. Some of these sublethal effects, including the decrease in activity, growth and developmental rates, may have important consequences for individual performance for extending the larval period, and hence the risk of dessication, in the temporary and semi-permanent ponds where the species develops. Future studies should seek additional realism towards a risk analysis of the environmental contamination by herbicides through experiments manipulating not only active ingredients but also commercial formulations, as well as interactions among contaminants and other environmental stressors across the entire life cycle of native amphibian species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Carlos Navas, Augusto Cesar and Britta Grillitsch for advice, Ana Cristina Machado, Kelliton Francisco, Ervin Siriubas and Rodrigo Lucena for general lab assistance, Andreia Arantes and Ana Letícia Sanches for assistance in the biomarker analysis, and Bianca Gonçalves, Daniel Din Betin Negri, Ilberto Calado and Luciano Mizael Dias for field assistance. MZUSP and ICMBio granted permissions to collect egg masses in the Estação Biologica de Boraceia, and the Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo provided logistical support. This study was funded by FAPESP through a Young Researcher Award to LS (FAPESP 2008/57939-9) and a MSc Fellowship to MFM (FAPESP 2011/05280-6). LS, ELGE and MAD were funded by FAPESP during the final preparation of this manuscript (FAPESP 2015/18790-3).

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  1. Eduardo A. de Almeida

    Present address: Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau, Blumenau, Brazil

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Mariana F. Moutinho

  2. Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, Brazil

    Eduardo A. de Almeida

  3. Centro de Recursos Hídricos e Ecologia Aplicada, Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Evaldo L. G. Espíndola

  4. Departamento de Ciências Ambientais e Engenharia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Michiel A. Daam

  5. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Arlindo Béttio 1000, São Paulo, 03828-000, Brazil

    Luis Schiesari

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  1. Mariana F. Moutinho
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Correspondence to Luis Schiesari.

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Experimental protocols were approved by the Ethics Comission of the Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo (Process 039/2007) with animals collected, transported and cultured under permits given by IBAMA/ICMBio (Process 17559-1).

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Moutinho, M.F., de Almeida, E.A., Espíndola, E.L.G. et al. Herbicides employed in sugarcane plantations have lethal and sublethal effects to larval Boana pardalis (Amphibia, Hylidae). Ecotoxicology 29, 1043–1051 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-020-02226-z

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