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Physiological assessment of avian exposure to fipronil, a new-generation pesticide

conference contribution
posted on 2007-01-01, 00:00 authored by M Kitulagodage, Lee AstheimerLee Astheimer, William Buttemer, M Hooper, A Keats
Fipronil, a phenyl pyrazole pesticide, is aerially applied in semi-arid and agricultural areas of Australia to control locust outbreaks. Locust populations build to plague proportions when rainfall occurs in late winter and spring, promoting early vegetation growth. These conditions also attract breeding birds. Over 100 species have been observed coincident with locust control operations. Avian exposure to fipronil occurs via direct contact and by ingesting contaminated insects or seeds. Avian toxicity information demonstrates there is high species-specific variability in fipronil sensitivity in the few avian species studied. There is no research, however, explaining this variability, nor is there research regarding physiological or behavioural sub-lethal effects on avian species. This makes it extremely difficult to predict the toxicity of fipronil on unstudied species at high risk of exposure. Our research aims to resolve this lack of essential information in two ways: firstly we examine whether fipronil has identifiable sublethal effects in exposed birds and their offspring that compromise population health, and secondly evaluate avian metabolism of fipronil in selected species to gain insight into the mechanisms underlying variation in species sensitivity. Our results provide critically needed information for evaluating field effects of locust-control spraying in Australia.

History

Event

Australasian Ornithological Conference (4th : 2007 : Perth, Western Australia)

Publisher

Birds Australia

Location

Perth, Western Australia

Place of publication

Carlton, Vic.

Start date

2007-12-03

End date

2007-12-05

Language

eng

Publication classification

EN.1 Other conference paper; E Conference publication

Copyright notice

2007, Birds Australia

Title of proceedings

AOC 2004 : Australasian Ornithological Conference : Abstracts

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