You spray it on crap? Why don't you just use Poo-be-Gone?
Posted on 08/11/2005 9:07:52 AM PDT by GreenFreeper
Roundup Kills Frogs as well as Tadpoles, Pitt Biologist Finds
PITTSBURGH — As amphibians continue to mysteriously disappear worldwide, a University of Pittsburgh researcher may have found more pieces of the puzzle. Elaborating on his previous research, University of Pittsburgh assistant professor of biological sciences Rick Relyea has discovered that Roundup, the most commonly used herbicide in the world, is deadly to tadpoles at lower concentrations than previously tested, that the presence of soil does not mitigate the chemical’s effects, and that the product kills frogs in addition to tadpoles.
In two articles published in the August 1 issue of the journal Ecological Applications, Relyea and his doctoral students Nancy Schoeppner and Jason Hoverman found that even when applied at concentrations that are one-third of the maximum concentrations expected in nature, Roundup® still killed up to 71 percent of tadpoles raised in outdoor tanks.
Relyea also examined whether adding soil to the tanks would absorb the Roundup® and make it less deadly to tadpoles. The soil made no difference: After exposure to the maximum concentration expected in nature, nearly all of the tadpoles from three species died.
Although Roundup® is not approved for use in water, scientists have found that the herbicide can wind up in small wetlands where tadpoles live due to inadvertent spraying during the application of Roundup®.
Studying how Roundup® affected frogs after metamorphosis, Relyea found that the recommended application of Roundup® Weed and Grass Killer, a formulation marketed to homeowners and gardeners, killed up to 86 percent of terrestrial frogs after only one day.
"The most striking result from the experiments was that a chemical designed to kill plants killed 98 percent of all tadpoles within three weeks and 79 percent of all frogs within one day," Relyea wrote.
Previous studies have determined that it is Roundup®’s surfactant (polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, an "inert" ingredient added to make the herbicide penetrate plant leaves) and not the active herbicide (glyphosate) that is lethal to amphibians.
This research was funded by the National Science Foundation, Pitt’s McKinley Fund, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Science.
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Complete Citation
THE LETHAL IMPACT OF ROUNDUP ON AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL AMPHIBIANS Ecological Applications 15(4): 1118-1124 Rick A. Relyea Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
Abstract. The global decline in amphibian diversity has become an international environmental problem with a multitude of possible causes. There is evidence that pesticides may play a role, yet few pesticides have been tested on amphibians. For example, Roundup is a globally common herbicide that is conventionally thought to be nonlethal to amphibians. However, Roundup has been tested on few amphibian species, with existing tests conducted mostly under laboratory conditions and on larval amphibians. Recent laboratory studies have indicated that Roundup may be highly lethal to North American tadpoles, but we needed to determine whether this effect occurs under more natural conditions and in post-metamorphic amphibians. I assembled communities of three species of North American tadpoles in outdoor pond mesocosms that contained different types of soil (which can absorb the pesticide) and applied Roundup as a direct overspray. After three weeks, Roundup killed 96–100% of larval amphibians (regardless of soil presence). I then exposed three species of juvenile (post-metamorphic) anurans to a direct overspray of Roundup in laboratory containers. After one day, Roundup killed 68–86% of juvenile amphibians. These results suggest that Roundup, a compound designed to kill plants, can cause extremely high rates of mortality to amphibians that could lead to population declines.
Species used: Bufo maericanus, Hyla versicolor, Rana pipiens
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A gratis downloadable pdf of this and other current papers by Relyea is available from the CNAH PDF Library on the CNAH web site home page at:
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
This is true, the glyphosphate (or whatever its called) active ingredient is pretty harmless. Its that darned detergent/soap that hurts the poor froggies. Its a shame, that Roundup is good stuff.
>> Sounds like it's not the active ingredient that's
>> the problem, and a reformulation might fix it.
> Perhaps, but it's the surfactant that is causing
> the problems.
Which further suggests that RoundUp isn't the only
product with this problem.
But a reformulation to fix it wouldn't necessarily
involve replacing one surfactant with another (unless
the other is known harmless). Perhaps they'll use
micro-encapsulated superglue :-)
I use Roundup all the time in my yard. I spray it on crap atleast once a week. And my property is overrun by Frogs.
I believe herpetology is the study of reptiles. Are frogs reptiles? I honestly don't know.
So the solution to our France problem is to do some aerial spraying of roundup!
Better stock up before the enviro-nazis decide to ban it...
There is a move afoot to get Roundup approved for organic farming. I believe the soap is just a "sticker" and there should be another solution that the froggies can tolerate.
You spray it on crap? Why don't you just use Poo-be-Gone?
Amphibians not reptiles
All jokes aside, this is good to know... the pond I've built has attracted a couple of frogs, and I want to make sure I keep well clear of them if I'm going to use Roundup as aggressive weed control.
Good!!!
That's good to hear. Monsanto makes a similar product to Roundup, that is supposedly safe to use in wetlands, Rodeo. It's works just as well. So if the weeds get out of control near the shoreline, you may want to switch to Rodeo.
I have a friend whose pond (a big one!)had all the fish die. Twice. They later found out that it was from something the neighbor put on their grass.
The banning of DDT really worked out well didn't it?
Well, the first set of fish in ours died, because Mrs. kevkrom didn't realize that washing the pump equipment in tap water would lead to chlorine poisoning. I've been a lot more careful about what goes near there since then.
Not true. Tree frogs are found a long way from water. Rodeo is not as effective as RoundUp because the surfactant system is different.
They are amphibians. Amphibians spend part of their lives in the water and part on land. Frogs spend the tadpole stage in water.
I was only referring to the fact that Roundup makes no claims to be safe for aquatic organisms or amphibians, while Rodeo does.
Rodeo is not as effective as RoundUp because the surfactant system is different.
Rodeo doesn't have a surfactant system. You need to add it youself. Several studies have shown LI 700, Induce, and X-77 pose little risk to aquatic organisms. When that is added, Rodeo works just as well as Roundup, if not better.
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