The exposure and toxicity of pesticides to amphibians

Amphibians and pesticides
Common name Species Zone(s) Countries
Graf’s hybrid frog Pelophylax grafi S 2
Karpathos Frog, Karpathos Water Frog Pelophylax cerigensis S 1
Levantine Frog, Leavant Water Frog Pelophylax bedriagae S 2
American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus/Rana
catesbeiana
C, S 8
According to this data 13 species (2 Caudata and 11 Anura) are found both in arable land and in all
zones.
While the above data is helpful in indicating those species that are associated with agricultural
habitats, the frequency of occurrence varies widely between species. For example, Berger et al (2003)
in a study of the use of wet spots by amphibians during summer before soil cultivation found the
following species in order of decreasing abundance: Rana arvalis, Bufo bufo, Bombina bombina, Rana
kl. esculenta, Bufo viridis, Pelobates fuscus, Hyla arborea. In another study on agricultural land
Berger et al (1999) ranked the species found in order of dominance (Table 4).
Table 4: Frequency of captures of species in a study of an agricultural area in Germany (Berger et
al 1999)
Species Dominance (%)
Pelobates fuscus 65
Rana arvalis 10
Triturus cristatus 8
Triturus vulgaris 5
Bombina bombina 5
Bufo viridis 4
Rana kl. esculenta 2
Bufo bufo 1
Bufo calamita (4 heard over 3 years)
Hyla arborea (2 heard over 3 years)
1.3. Studies of use of agricultural habitats
Apart from identifying the species associated with agricultural habitats, it is necessary to have
information on the use of the habitat in terms of time spent in the habitat and distances moved/home
range. This should include details of the seasonality of habitat use to determine whether exposure to
pesticides is likely.
1.3.1. Movements in agricultural habitats
The literature search identified 192 studies of the movements of amphibians, a large number of which
did not relate to studies in Europe (mainly USA, Canada, Australia and Japan). Only 22 of the
European studies appeared to have been conducted in agricultural habitats. Those with potentially
useful information are outlined below along with information from other sources found during the
course of the project (Table 5).
Supporting publications 2012:EN-343 16
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