Abstract
This is the first field study of its kind to combine radio telemetry, passive samplers, and pesticide accumulation in tissues to characterize the amphibian exposome as it relates to pesticides. Understanding how habitat drives exposure in individuals (i.e., their exposome), and how that relates to individual health is critical to managing species in an agricultural landscape where pesticide exposure is likely. We followed 72 northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens) in two agricultural wetlands for insight into where and when individuals are at high risk of pesticide exposure. Novel passive sampling devices (PSDs) were deployed at sites where telemetered frogs were located, then moved to subsequent locations as frogs were radio-tracked. Pesticide concentration in PSDs varied by habitat and was greatest in agricultural fields where frogs were rarely found. Pesticide concentrations in frogs were greatest in spring when frogs were occupying wetlands compared to late summer when frogs occupied terrestrial habitats. Our results indicate that habitat and time of year influence exposure and accumulation of pesticides in amphibians. Our study illustrates the feasibility of quantifying the amphibian exposome to interpret the role of habitat use in pesticide accumulation in frogs to better manage amphibians in agricultural landscapes.
Highlights
Pesticides are one of multiple stressors that contribute to amphibian declines, but their population-level effects on health are still poorly understood[1,2]
We hypothesized that habitat use, measured as time spent in a particular habitat, would influence an individual frog’s exposure to types and amounts of pesticides, which would correlate with the types of pesticides accumulating in their tissue
Information from this study using a combination of radio telemetry and passive sampling devices (PSDs) to document exposure and accumulation in tissues expands our understanding of the amphibian exposome as it relates to pesticides
Summary
Pesticides are one of multiple stressors that contribute to amphibian declines, but their population-level effects on health are still poorly understood[1,2]. Timing of exposure is important, and metabolism and excretion play a role in pesticide accumulation and residence time within tissues[8,9] Compounding this complexity is the aquatic/terrestrial duality of many amphibian species. Our goal was to understand the role of habitat use in determining pesticide exposure in frogs in an agricultural landscape This information will facilitate an assessment of the potential health risks of agrochemicals under field conditions. We hypothesized that habitat use, measured as time spent in a particular habitat, would influence an individual frog’s exposure to types and amounts of pesticides, which would correlate with the types of pesticides accumulating in their tissue To our knowledge, this is the first field study to combine radio telemetry, passive samplers, and pesticide accumulation in tissues as a means to characterize the amphibian exposome as it relates to pesticides. We compared pesticide type and concentration among different habitats and in frog tissue to determine if a relationship exists between a frog’s habitat use and their pesticide accumulation
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