Tracking equipment to test the effects of pesticides on migration movements of wild birds and butterflies

新烟碱类化合物是世界上使用最广泛的杀虫剂，与驯化蜜蜂数量的迅速下降有关，导致全球对传粉者健康和食品安全的担忧。新烟碱主要用作种衣剂，但只有大约5%的化学物质被植物吸收，而其余的会污染土壤和水，并在环境中持续多年。除了蜜蜂，人们对新烟碱对其他占据农业栖息地的物种(如候鸟和蝴蝶)的亚致死性影响知之甚少。对圈养鸣禽的研究发现，其他污染物(乙酰甲胺磷、多氯联苯)会干扰迁徙方向，但新烟碱类化合物尚未进行测试。在这项新颖的研究中，我们使用创新的跟踪技术来测试新烟碱对白冠麻雀、草原麻雀和帝王蝴蝶迁徙运动的影响。动物们将配备一个微型编码的NanoTag(&lt；1g)设备，该设备可以被覆盖在安大略省西南部的数十个自动无线电遥测塔组成的现有网络探测到(约5公里内)。所需的设备，纳米标签和手动接收器，将支持三所大学的三个合作项目。首先，我们的初步研究表明，在圈养的白冠麻雀中，即使是小剂量的吡虫啉，也会显著减少活动量和体重。为了进行实地测试，将在春季迁徙时捕获个体，并将对实验鸟类进行非常小但与环境相关的口服剂量的吡虫啉治疗。与对照鸟类相比，迁徙方向将首先在圈养条件下使用标准的Emlen漏斗测试进行监控，然后在野外使用纳米标签在释放后跟踪迁徙运动。其次，我们正在研究新烟碱对萨凡纳麻雀的影响，方法是跟踪来自玉米/大豆农场的标记幼鸟在羽化后的扩散运动和秋季迁徙的开始，这些幼鸟来自使用新烟碱的玉米/大豆农场和天然草甸。我们将在雏鸟粪便样本以及土壤和昆虫样本中测试吡虫啉的水平，我们将测试较高的新烟碱类化合物暴露是否会对扩散运动或延缓秋季迁徙的开始产生负面影响。第三，我们将使用纳米标签来跟踪在新烟碱处理厂与对照厂饲养的帝王蝶的迁徙方向。迫切需要这些研究来确定人口下降的驱动因素，并为新烟碱类药物的法规提供信息。加拿大卫生部有害生物管理监管机构(PMRA)计划在未来两年内完成对新烟碱类化合物的全面重新评估；完成我们的研究并将其纳入PMRA评估和建议非常重要，因为我们针对的是非目标动物，而不是蜜蜂。

Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticide in the world and have been linked to rapid declines in domesticated bee populations, leading to global concern around pollinator health and food security. Neonicotinoids are applied primarily as a seed coating but only about 5% of the chemical is absorbed by the plant while the remainder contaminates the soil and water and persists for years in the environment. Other than bees, very little is known about the sublethal effects of neonicotinoids on other species that occupy agricultural habitat such as migratory birds and butterflies. Studies of captive songbirds have found that other contaminants (acephate, PCBs) disrupt migration orientation but neonicotinoids have not yet been tested. In this novel research, we use innovative tracking technology to test the effects of neonicotinoids on the migratory movements of White-crowned Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, and Monarch Butterflies. Animals will be equipped with a miniature coded NanoTag (< 1g) device that can be detected (within ~5 km) by the existing and extensive network of dozens of 'MOTUS' automated radio-telemetry towers that blanket southwestern Ontario. The equipment requested, NanoTags and manual receivers, will support three collaborative projects across three universities. First, our pilot studies have shown that, in captivity, White-crowned Sparrows exposed to even small doses of imadacloprid, significantly reduce activity and lose body mass. To conduct field tests, individuals will be caught on spring migration and experimental birds will be treated with a very small but environmentally relevant oral dose of imadacloprid. Migration orientation, compared to control birds, will be monitored first in captivity using a standard ‘Emlen’ funnel test and then in the wild using NanoTags to track migration movements after release. Second, we are studying the effects of neonicotinoids on Savannah Sparrows by tracking the post-fledging dispersal movements and onset of fall migration in tagged juveniles that originated from corn/soybean farms using neonicotinoids vs natural meadows. Imadacloprid levels are tested in nestling fecal samples as well as soil and insect samples, and we will test if higher exposure to neonicotinoids has a negative effect on dispersal movements or delays onset of fall migration. Third, we will use NanoTags to track the migration orientation of Monarch Butterflies that have been reared on neonicotinoid treated plants versus control plants. These studies are urgently needed to identify drivers of population declines and to inform neonicotinoid regulations. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is scheduled to complete a full re-evaluation of neonicotinoids over the next two years; it is important that our research be completed and included in the PMRA assessment and recommendations because we address non-target animals other than bees.