There have been several posts on the forum in the past advising against the use of Roundup around our ponds and as the growing season is upon us again, I thought this article may be of interest.
STUDY: ROUNDUP HIGHLY LETHAL TO AMPHIBIANS
From EurekaAlert, Science News
The herbicide Roundup is widely used to eradicate weeds, and
anti-pesticide groups warn users about the dangerous effects chemicals such
as roundup can have on the environment and human health. But a new study
released this week by a University of Pittsburgh researcher finds that the
chemical may also be deadly to amphibians.
Pittsburgh assistant professor of biology Rick Relyea found that Roundup,
the second most commonly applied herbicide in the United States, is
"extremely lethal" to amphibians, and these results may provide a link to
global amphibian population decline. According to the University of
Pittsburgh, this study is one of the most extensive studies of the effects
of pesticides on non-target organisms in a natural setting.
Relyea examined how a pond's entire community -- 25 species, including
crustaceans, insects, snails, and tadpoles -- responded to the addition of
the manufacturers' recommended doses of two insecticides (Sevin and
malathion) and two herbicides (Roundup and 2,4-D).
Relyea found that Roundup caused a 70 percent decline in amphibian
biodiversity and an 86 percent decline in the total mass of tadpoles.
Leopard frog tadpoles and gray tree frog tadpoles were completely eliminated
and wood frog tadpoles and toad tadpoles were nearly eliminated. One species
of frog, spring peepers, was unaffected.
The experiment was initially conducted to see whether the Roundup would
have an indirect effect on the frogs by killing their food source, the
algae.
Previous research found that the lethal ingredient in Roundup was not the
herbicide itself, glyphosate, but rather the surfactant, or detergent, that
allows the herbicide to penetrate the waxy surfaces of plants. In Roundup,
that surfactant is a chemical called polyethoxylated tallowamine. Other
herbicides have less dangerous surfactants: For example, Relyea's study
found that 2,4-D had no effect on tadpoles.
