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Photoenhanced toxicity of a carbamate insecticide to early life stage anuran amphibians
Author(s) -
Zaga Angela,
Little Edward E.,
Rabeni Charles F.,
Ellersieck Mark R.
Publication year - 1998
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.5620171223
Subject(s) - carbaryl , toxicity , biology , toxicology , amphibian , ultraviolet , pesticide , environmental chemistry , hyla , zoology , ecology , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Aican clawed frog ( Xenopus laevis ) and gray tree frog ( Hyla versicolor ) embryos and tadpoles were exposed to sublethal levels of carbaryl, a broad‐spectrum insecticide, and ultraviolet radiation to determine interactive and sublethal effects. Ultraviolet intensity (UV‐B [285–320 nm] plus UV‐A [321–400 nm]) was controlled with various types of plastic filters and quantified with a scanning spectroradiometer. Significant differences in swimming activity and mortality of both species were evident during the 96‐h experiments. Ultraviolet‐B radiation alone and carbaryl in the presence of UV‐B significantly decreased swimming activity of both species. As little as 1.5% intensity of ambient solar UV‐B radiation photoactivated carbaryl. Toxicity of 7.5 mg/L carbaryl increased by 10‐fold in the presence of UV‐B in all species and life stages tested. Our results indicate that photoenhancement by solar UV‐B radiation should be considered when evaluating the toxicity of contaminants to amphibians and other organisms.