Wintering snow buntings as a monitoring tool for agricultural pesticides

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In Canada, corn ranks as the third most valuable crop behind wheat and canola; however, Ontario and Québec**alone account for 91.9% of this production (statscan.gc.ca). Across this crop-type, regardless of geographic**location, similar insecticides and herbicides are sprayed to control pests and competitors, respectively. Until**recently, the effects of these pesticides were unknown, but mounting evidence suggests that there is moderate**toxicity in birds. It has also been suggested that these toxic effects are cumulative when birds are exposed**chronically, even at small biologically relevant levels.**Terre-Eau, inc. is a business operating in the Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspesie region of Quebec which works**with private farmers to advise them on both the utilization of renewable resources and the optimization of**farming practices to balance ecological needs. Terre-Eau recognizes that the farming of important crops, such**as corn, will continue migrating north, due to both increasing consumer demand and the effects of climate**change. As a result, Terre-Eau is aiming to gather data on the current effects of pesticides on birds that are**using these crop fields for habitat in order to include this information while consulting its clients.**Dr. Love's laboratory studies a model passerine species, the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis), that forages**mostly on corn within these types of agricultural habitats during the winter. Also, although the species is not**currently threatened globally, recent estimates suggest that snow buntings have declined by over 60% in some**parts of Canada over the last 40 years. Therefore, this species could represent an ideal model species for our**industrial partner (TEI) to include in its consultation practices with farmers already or expecting to grow corn.**In this project, we will therefore test snow bunting tissues for the 3-4 pesticides most commonly used in corn**agriculture. These pesticides are atrazine, glyphosate, chlothianidin, and imidacloprid.