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Toxicity, survivability, and activity patterns of northern bobwhite quail dosed with the insecticide terbufos
Author(s) -
Brewer Rone A.,
Carlock Linda L.,
Hooper Michael J.,
Brewer Larry W.,
Cobb George P.,
Kendall Ronald J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620150521
Subject(s) - colinus , bobwhite quail , zoology , toxicology , toxicity , biology , chemistry , quail , ecology , organic chemistry
The effects of the organophosphorus insecticide terbufos on laboratory‐reared and wild northern bobwhites ( Colinus virginianus ) were investigated in laboratory dosing studies and dose‐release field trials. Laboratory studies yielded a terbufos LD50 of 24.4 mg/kg‐body weight (bw). All mortalities occurred within the first 24 h post‐dose. Wild bobwhites were trapped, administered 0, 3, 5.6, or 21 mg/kg‐bw terbufos by oral intubation, released at their trapping site, and monitored for 14 d. Mortality, activity, and locational data were recorded. Bobwhites treated with 21 mg/kg‐bw terbufos had significantly lower survival ( p = 0.04) than control birds, while survival at the lower doses was unaffected. No significant differences ( p = 0.06) were detected in physical activity among treatments. The 21‐mg/kg‐bw dose yields an anticipated 37% mortality (or LD37) when interpolated from the LD50 slope equation. After adjustment for control mortality, the 21‐mg/kg‐bw dose led to 44% mortality in wild bobwhites. This was a 7% higher mortality than predicted by interpolation from the laboratory generated LD50. These results indicate that there was not a substantial increase in mortality of wild bobwhites compared to laboratory‐reared bobwhites at nonlethal or lethal, sub‐LD50, doses.