Predator-induced stress makes the pesticide carbaryl more deadly to gray treefrog tadpoles (Hyla versicolor).

Abstract

Global declines in amphibians likely have multiple causes, including widespread pesticide use. Our knowledge of pesticide effects on amphibians is largely limited to short-term (4-d) toxicity tests conducted under highly artificial conditions to determine lethal concentrations (LC50). We found that if we used slightly longer exposure times (10-16 d), low concentrations of the pesticide carbaryl (3-4% of LC50(4-d)) killed 10-60% of gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) tadpoles. If predatory cues also were present, the pesticide became 2-4 times more lethal, killing 60-98% of tadpoles. Thus, under more realistic conditions of increased exposure times and predatory stress, current application rates for carbaryl can potentially devastate gray treefrog populations. Further, because predator-induced stress is ubiquitous in animals and carbaryl's mode of action is common to many pesticides, these negative impacts may be widespread in nature.