Exposure of juvenile green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) in littoral enclosures to a glyphosate-based herbicide

Abstract

The majority of studies on the toxicity of glyphosate-based herbicides to amphibians have focused on larval life stages exposed in aqueous media. However, adult and juvenile amphibians may also be exposed directly or indirectly to herbicides. The potential for such exposures is of particular interest in the littoral zone surrounding wetlands as this is preferred habitat for many amphibian species. Moreover, it may be argued that potential herbicide effects on juvenile or adult amphibians could have comparatively greater influence on overall recruitment, reproductive potential and thus stability of local populations than effects on larvae. In this experiment, juvenile green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) were exposed to two concentrations (2.16 and 4.27 kg a.e./ha) of a glyphosate-based herbicide formulation (VisionMax®), which were based on typical application scenarios in Canadian forestry. The experimental design employed frogs inhabiting in situ enclosures established at the edge of small naturalized wetlands that were split in half using an impermeable plastic barrier. When analyzed using nominal target application rates, exposure to the glyphosate-based herbicide had no significant effect on survival, body condition, liver somatic index or the observed rate of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection. However, there were marginal trends in both ANOVA analysis and post-hoc regressions regarding B. dendrobatidis infection rates and liver somatic index in relation to measured exposure estimates. Results from this study highlight the importance of field research and the need to include multiple endpoints when examining potential effects of a contaminant on non-target organisms.