Functional responses of tadpoles exposed to different concentrations of glyphosate
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The main causes of biodiversity decline are associated with habitat loss and degradation. This process is mainly related to the expansion of agricultural frontiers (habitat loss) combined with the intense use of pesticides (habitat degradation). Even aquatic animals are affected by agriculture due to the run-off of pesticides from plantations to water bodies. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the pesticide glyphosate (commercial name Roundup) on the morphological development of tadpoles of Boana faber (Blacksmith Treefrog) and their functional traits. We analyzed 51 tadpoles in a laboratory experiment composed of four treatments with different concentrations of glyphosate. We measured 16 morphological characters of each tadpole, which were used to determine four functional traits: feeding, locomotion, gas exchange, and sensory perception. Our results indicate that glyphosate exposure directly affects the morphology and functional traits, with potential consequences on tadpole ecology. Morphological characteristics related to locomotion (caudal fin height and dorsal fin height) and sensory perception (internal distance between the eyes) were the attributes that presented greater variation after exposure. Greater exposure to glyphosate leads to smaller functional space occupied by locomotory attributes, which could indicate a reduction in morphological plasticity and changes in the ability to explore the habitat. At the same time, functional attributes related to space use and diet occupied the functional space in a manner that allowed greater differentiation between the treatments. As we detected huge changes in tadpole functional traits after a few days of exposure (seven days) and based on the current knowledge that many Brazilian ecosystems are vulnerable to runoff water from agricultural areas, we suggest that the ecological performance of free-ranging tadpoles has been suffering continuous effects of agricultural pollutants.
