Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in Tadpoles

Larval amphibians are frequently exposed to multiple stressors in aquatic environments, so understanding how individual stressors and synergisms of multiple stressors affect amphibians is integral to conservation efforts. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup™, is a common pollutant found in...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Caitlin R. Gabor, Hannah R. Perkins, Austin T. Heitmann, Zachery R. Forsburg, Andrea S. Aspbury
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2019.00114/full
_version_ 1818020010688249856
author Caitlin R. Gabor
Hannah R. Perkins
Austin T. Heitmann
Zachery R. Forsburg
Andrea S. Aspbury
author_facet Caitlin R. Gabor
Hannah R. Perkins
Austin T. Heitmann
Zachery R. Forsburg
Andrea S. Aspbury
author_sort Caitlin R. Gabor
collection DOAJ
description Larval amphibians are frequently exposed to multiple stressors in aquatic environments, so understanding how individual stressors and synergisms of multiple stressors affect amphibians is integral to conservation efforts. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup™, is a common pollutant found in aquatic environments. Exposure to glyphosate induces morphological, behavioral, and physiological changes in tadpoles possibly via infodisruption. Urban aquatic environments may have environmentally relevant levels of glyphosate, as well as higher concentrations of exogenous corticosterone (CORT) than rural areas. Elevated CORT levels also affect the morphology and physiology of tadpoles. Dragonfly larvae are common predators of tadpoles, and tadpoles often show elevated CORT and reduced activity in the presence of dragonfly larvae. We tested the hypothesis that combined effects of exogenous CORT and Roundup™ exposure would affect the antipredator behavior, morphology, and stress hormone responses of Gulf coast toad, Incilius nebulifer, tadpoles. We exposed tadpoles to one of four treatments: Roundup™, CORT, Roundup™+CORT, or control, for 7 days. Tadpoles exposed to CORT or Roundup™+CORT had elevated CORT release rates. Tadpoles exposed to exogenous CORT had lower tail depth compared to tadpoles in other treatments. Subsequently, we exposed tadpoles to dragonfly diet cues. Tadpoles increased activity after predator cue exposure when they had previously been exposed to Roundup™+CORT. Taken together, our results suggest that there may be synergistic effects between Roundup™ and exogeneous CORT on organismal behavior but not their physiology or morphology. It appears that glyphosate is an infordisruptor, that prevents tadpoles from demonstrating adaptive antipredator responses, which may contribute to population declines.
first_indexed 2024-04-14T07:59:28Z
format Article
id doaj.art-6cac383e1a4844808576a02a0a1b93c4
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2296-701X
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-14T07:59:28Z
publishDate 2019-04-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
spelling doaj.art-6cac383e1a4844808576a02a0a1b93c42022-12-22T02:04:56ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2019-04-01710.3389/fevo.2019.00114446071Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in TadpolesCaitlin R. GaborHannah R. PerkinsAustin T. HeitmannZachery R. ForsburgAndrea S. AspburyLarval amphibians are frequently exposed to multiple stressors in aquatic environments, so understanding how individual stressors and synergisms of multiple stressors affect amphibians is integral to conservation efforts. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup™, is a common pollutant found in aquatic environments. Exposure to glyphosate induces morphological, behavioral, and physiological changes in tadpoles possibly via infodisruption. Urban aquatic environments may have environmentally relevant levels of glyphosate, as well as higher concentrations of exogenous corticosterone (CORT) than rural areas. Elevated CORT levels also affect the morphology and physiology of tadpoles. Dragonfly larvae are common predators of tadpoles, and tadpoles often show elevated CORT and reduced activity in the presence of dragonfly larvae. We tested the hypothesis that combined effects of exogenous CORT and Roundup™ exposure would affect the antipredator behavior, morphology, and stress hormone responses of Gulf coast toad, Incilius nebulifer, tadpoles. We exposed tadpoles to one of four treatments: Roundup™, CORT, Roundup™+CORT, or control, for 7 days. Tadpoles exposed to CORT or Roundup™+CORT had elevated CORT release rates. Tadpoles exposed to exogenous CORT had lower tail depth compared to tadpoles in other treatments. Subsequently, we exposed tadpoles to dragonfly diet cues. Tadpoles increased activity after predator cue exposure when they had previously been exposed to Roundup™+CORT. Taken together, our results suggest that there may be synergistic effects between Roundup™ and exogeneous CORT on organismal behavior but not their physiology or morphology. It appears that glyphosate is an infordisruptor, that prevents tadpoles from demonstrating adaptive antipredator responses, which may contribute to population declines.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2019.00114/fullamphibiansecotoxicologyglyphosateconservation physiologystresswater-borne hormones
spellingShingle Caitlin R. Gabor
Hannah R. Perkins
Austin T. Heitmann
Zachery R. Forsburg
Andrea S. Aspbury
Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in Tadpoles
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
amphibians
ecotoxicology
glyphosate
conservation physiology
stress
water-borne hormones
title Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in Tadpoles
title_full Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in Tadpoles
title_fullStr Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in Tadpoles
title_full_unstemmed Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in Tadpoles
title_short Roundup™ With Corticosterone Functions as an Infodisruptor to Antipredator Response in Tadpoles
title_sort roundup™ with corticosterone functions as an infodisruptor to antipredator response in tadpoles
topic amphibians
ecotoxicology
glyphosate
conservation physiology
stress
water-borne hormones
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2019.00114/full
work_keys_str_mv AT caitlinrgabor roundupwithcorticosteronefunctionsasaninfodisruptortoantipredatorresponseintadpoles
AT hannahrperkins roundupwithcorticosteronefunctionsasaninfodisruptortoantipredatorresponseintadpoles
AT austintheitmann roundupwithcorticosteronefunctionsasaninfodisruptortoantipredatorresponseintadpoles
AT zacheryrforsburg roundupwithcorticosteronefunctionsasaninfodisruptortoantipredatorresponseintadpoles
AT andreasaspbury roundupwithcorticosteronefunctionsasaninfodisruptortoantipredatorresponseintadpoles