Effects of a neonicotinoid insecticide and population density on behavior and development of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)

Bouffard, J.; Careau, V.; Robinson, S. A.; Bergeron, P.

Effects of a neonicotinoid insecticide and population density on behavior and development of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)

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dc.contributor.author: Bouffard, J.; Careau, V.; Robinson, S. A.; Bergeron, P.
dc.date.accepted: 2022-08-31
dc.date.accessioned: 2025-12-29T19:03:44Z
dc.date.available: 2025-12-29T19:03:44Z
dc.date.issued: 2022-09-12
dc.date.submitted: 2021-12-17
dc.description - en: Amphibians are declining worldwide, partly because pesticides from farms contaminate waterways. This study examined how a common pesticide, imidacloprid, and a natural stressor—crowding—affect young wood frogs. Researchers tested tadpole behavior and development at different stages, including how they reacted to predator cues. Imidacloprid alone did not change most behaviors, and it did not interact with crowding. However, tadpoles raised in crowded conditions were more active early on but less active later. Both crowding and the pesticide reduced their natural freezing response to predators. These findings show that studying pesticides alongside real environmental stressors is important for understanding risks to amphibians.
dc.description.abstract - en: Amphibians have been facing global declines over the last decades due to direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic activities. A contributor to declines is waterway contamination from agricultural runoffs of pesticides such as neonicotinoids. Beyond direct and indirect effects of the pesticide, few studies have investigated the possible interactions between neonicotinoids and natural environmental stressors across larval development, which could alter the strength and direction of observed neonicotinoid effects. This study used a fully crossed design to investigate how a concentration of imidacloprid (a neonicotinoid; 10 µg/L) measured in surface waters interacted with low and high population density (0.33 and 1 tadpole/L, respectively), an important environmental stressor, to influence behavior and development across metamorphosis in wood frogs (<i>Rana sylvatica</i>) known to breed in agricultural landscapes. Behaviors were measured in the absence and presence of predation cues using open-field tests at three distinct developmental stages, up to the metamorph stage. We found that imidacloprid did not interact with population density or independently affect behaviors in the absence of predation cues. However, individuals raised at high density compared with low density were more active at an early developmental stage but less active at metamorphic climax. Furthermore, both density and imidacloprid independently decreased the natural freezing response of tadpoles to predation cues. Finally, we found that distance travelled in the open-field test was weakly repeatable between aquatic stages but not repeatable across metamorphosis, a pattern that was not affected by treatments. This study provides novel insights on the ecotoxicology of imidacloprid in the presence of a natural stressor, highlighting the importance of including behavioral assays and natural stressors in studies of amphibian ecotoxicology.
dc.description.fosrcfull - en: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry following peer review. The version of record J. Bouffard, V. Careau, S. A. Robinson, P. Bergeron, Effects of a Neonicotinoid Insecticide and Population Density on Behavior and Development of Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica), Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Volume 41, Issue 12, 1 December 2022, Pages 2968–2980, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5477 is available online at: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5477">https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5477</a>.
dc.description.fosrcfull-fosrctranslation - fr: Ceci est la version de l’article produite par l’auteur, qui a été accepté pour publication dans Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Cette version a été évaluée par les pairs, mais n’a pas encore été révisée par l’éditeur. La version publiée J. Bouffard, V. Careau, S. A. Robinson, P. Bergeron, Effects of a Neonicotinoid Insecticide and Population Density on Behavior and Development of Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica), Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Volume 41, Issue 12, 1 December 2022, Pages 2968–2980, https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5477 est disponible en ligne à l'adresse suivante : <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5477">https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5477</a>.
dc.description.fosrctranslation - fr: Les amphibiens sont en déclin dans le monde entier, en partie parce que les pesticides utilisés dans les exploitations agricoles contaminent les cours d'eau. Cette étude a examiné comment un pesticide courant, l'imidaclopride, et un facteur de stress naturel, la surpopulation, affectent les jeunes grenouilles des bois. Les chercheurs ont testé le comportement et le développement des têtards à différents stades, notamment leur réaction aux signaux émis par les prédateurs. L'imidaclopride seul n'a pas modifié la plupart des comportements et n'a pas interagi avec la surpopulation. Cependant, les têtards élevés dans des conditions de surpopulation étaient plus actifs au début, mais moins actifs par la suite. La surpopulation et le pesticide ont tous deux réduit leur réaction naturelle de paralysie face aux prédateurs. Ces résultats montrent qu'il est important d'étudier les pesticides en parallèle avec les facteurs de stress environnementaux réels pour comprendre les risques encourus par les amphibiens.
dc.identifier.issn: 1552-8618; 0730-7268
dc.identifier.uri: https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/4103
dc.language.iso: en
dc.publisher - en: Oxford Academic
dc.publisher - fr: Oxford Academic
dc.relation.isreplacedby: https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5477
dc.rights - en: Other
dc.rights - fr: Autre
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - en: Green
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - fr: Vert
dc.rights.uri - en: #description-element
dc.rights.uri - fr: #description-element
dc.subject - en: Insecticides; Amphibians; Toxicology
dc.subject - fr: Insecticide; Amphibien; Toxicologie
dc.subject.en - en: Insecticides; Amphibians; Toxicology
dc.subject.fr - fr: Insecticide; Amphibien; Toxicologie
dc.title - en: Effects of a neonicotinoid insecticide and population density on behavior and development of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)
dc.title.alternative - fr: Effets d'un insecticide néonicotinoïde et de la densité de population sur le comportement et le développement des grenouilles des bois (Rana sylvatica)
dc.type - en: Accepted manuscript
dc.type - fr: Manuscrit accepté
local.article.journalissue: 12
local.article.journaltitle - en: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
local.article.journalvolume: 41
local.pagination: 38 pages, annexes
local.peerreview - en: Yes
local.peerreview - fr: Oui
local.requestdoi - en: No
local.requestdoi - fr: No

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