Long-term glyphosate persistence in native plants and its effect on nutrient profiles in British Columbian forests

草甘膦是用于处理农业和林业环境中不需要的植被的除草剂中的有效成分。给予适当剂量*，大多数植物材料在施用于叶片后几个月内死亡（Roy et al. 1989; Feng & Thompson 1990）。从长期来看，接受较低剂量或不完全处理的植物，或那些对草甘膦具有抗性或耐受性的植物，继续生存和生长。在这些情况下，草甘膦持续存在于植物组织中。草甘膦在植物中的长期存在可能导致包括人类在内的动物长期低水平暴露（Newton et al. 1984; Roy et al. 1989; Feng & Thompson 1990）。此外，由于草甘膦的螯合作用，草甘膦在植物组织中积累可能会与营养物质发生复杂的相互作用（Mertens et al. 2018），从而影响植物的长期生长和营养物质的生物利用度。***本研究将有助于确定草甘膦在北方森林植物中持久性的时间轴，并确定持久性是否因物种、植物类型或功能性状而异。此外，这项研究将有助于确定草甘膦对植物营养物质生物利用度的影响，这对确定野生动物的食物质量至关重要。我们将对不列颠哥伦比亚省北部过去12年内用草甘膦处理过的原生森林植物进行取样，以确定草甘膦的持久性和分解趋势。这些知识将指导这些产品的工业使用，并有助于在原始森林中使用草甘膦除草剂的决策，同时为对植物采集感兴趣的公众提供信息。

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in herbicides used to treat unwanted vegetation in agricultural and forestry settings. Most plant material dies within a few months of application to foliage, given the appropriate dose *(Roy et al. 1989, Feng & Thompson 1990). Over the longer-term, plants receiving a lower dose or incomplete treatment, or those plants that are resistant or tolerant to glyphosate, continue to survive and grow. In these cases, glyphosate persists in plant tissues. The long-term presence of glyphosate in plants may lead to chronic low-level exposure to animals, including humans (Newton et al. 1984; Roy et al. 1989, Feng & Thompson 1990). Furthermore, glyphosate that accumulates in plant tissues may cause complex interactions with nutrients because of the chelating action of glyphosate (Mertens et al. 2018), thereby affecting long-term plant growth and nutrient bioavailability. ***This research will contribute towards identifying the timeline associated with glyphosate persistence in boreal forest plants, and identify whether or not persistence varies by species or plant type or by functional traits. Furthermore, this research will aid in determining the effect of glyphosate on nutrient bioavailability to plants, which will be vital for determining food quality for wildlife. We will sample native forest plants in northern British Columbia that have been treated with glyphosate within the last 12 years to identify trends in persistence and break-down of glyphosate. This knowledge will guide industry use of these products, and aid in decision-making around the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in native forests while providing information to public interested in plant gathering.