Detecting Cryptic Exposure and Effects of Neurotoxic Insecticides to Migratory Birds

检测神经毒性杀虫剂对候鸟的隐秘暴露和影响

• 批准号: RGPIN-2021-03494
• 负责人: Morrissey, Christy
• 金额: $ 4.01万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=742583
• 关键词: Detecting; Cryptic; Exposure; Effects; Neurotoxic

Many migratory and farmland associated bird species are exhibiting precipitous population declines across North America. One of the main putative causes is the role of pesticides affecting birds using agricultural landscapes. Conventional agricultural practices in North America have increased reliance on agrochemicals over the past 35 years to maintain or increase production yields in highly simplified landscapes. Migrating and farmland associated birds can be exposed to toxic insecticides through ingestion of treated seeds or granules, sprayed soils or contaminated prey items and water. Since avian migration is a complex process that requires integration of multisensory information for successful orientation and navigation and rapid refueling at the staging sites, even subtle, insidious perturbations from insecticide exposure could delay a bird's migration, change their route, and reduce their survival and chance to reproduce. However, studies remain inconclusive about the magnitude of pesticide effects relative to landscape and habitat alterations that have co-occurred. Remarkably, few studies have explicitly tested whether pesticides could be directly responsible for processes underpinning species losses in agricultural habitats. My goal is to begin disentangling whether insecticides are playing a disproportionate role in the decline of avifauna in North America relative to habitat alterations toward simplified landscapes alone. Through comprehensive GIS desktop exercises, field studies, and captive experiments using many common farmland bird species (eg. grassland sparrows and blackbirds, aerial insectivorous swallows and introduced European starlings) as well as cutting edge technologies (sensitive pesticide residue analysis, automated telemetry, eDNA metabarcoding and bioacoustic analyses), I will explore the multiple aspects of sublethal insecticide exposures and effects. The research will explore the complex processes that underpin stable bird populations and communities, provide new insight into the root causes of global farmland bird declines, and pinpoint viable solutions that can aid conservation efforts.  It will also create a platform for a rich training experience for students to prepare them for diverse careers in ecology, ecotoxicology and conservation biology fields.

北美地区许多与迁徙和农田相关的鸟类数量急剧下降。一个主要的假定原因是农药的作用影响鸟类使用农业景观。在过去35年中，北美的传统农业实践越来越依赖农用化学品，以保持或提高高度简化景观的产量。迁徙和农田相关的鸟类可能通过摄入处理过的种子或颗粒、喷洒过的土壤或受污染的猎物和水接触有毒杀虫剂。由于鸟类迁徙是一个复杂的过程，需要整合多感官信息，以成功定位和导航，并在中转站快速加油，即使是微妙的，阴险的干扰杀虫剂暴露可能会延迟鸟类的迁徙，改变其路线，并减少其生存和繁殖的机会。然而，研究仍然没有确定农药的影响程度相对于景观和栖息地的改变，已经共同发生。值得注意的是，很少有研究明确测试农药是否直接导致农业栖息地物种损失的过程。我的目标是开始解开杀虫剂是否在北美鸟类减少中发挥了不成比例的作用，相对于栖息地的改变，只朝着简化的景观。通过全面的GIS桌面练习，实地研究和圈养实验，使用许多常见的农田鸟类物种（如。通过对这些物种（如草地麻雀和黑鸟、空中食虫燕子和引进的欧洲欧椋鸟）以及尖端技术（敏感农药残留分析、自动遥测、eDNA元条形码和生物声学分析）的研究，我将探讨亚致死杀虫剂暴露和影响的多个方面。该研究将探索支撑稳定鸟类种群和群落的复杂过程，为全球农田鸟类减少的根本原因提供新的见解，并确定有助于保护工作的可行解决方案，还将为学生创造丰富的培训经验平台，为他们在生态学，生态毒理学和保护生物学领域的多样化职业做好准备。