Exposure of wild mammals to glyphosate, AMPA, and glufosinate: a case for "emerging organic contaminants"?

Clémentine Fritsch (1) , Brice Mr Appenzeller (2) , Colette Bertrand (3) , Michael Coeurdassier (1) , Vincent Driget (1) , Emilie M Hardy (2) , Paul Palazzi (2) , Charline Schaeffer (2) , Anne-Claude Goydadin (1) , Sabrina Gaba (4, 5) , Vincent Bretagnolle (4, 6) , Céline Pelosi (3, 7)

1 LCE - Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249)
2 LIH - Luxembourg Institute of Health
3 ECOSYS - Ecologie fonctionnelle et écotoxicologie des agroécosystèmes
4 CEBC - Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372
5 Zone Atelier Plaine et Val de Sèvre [LTSER France]
6 ZA PYGAR - Zone Atelier Pyrénées-Garonne
7 EMMAH - Environnement Méditerranéen et Modélisation des Agro-Hydrosystèmes

Glyphosate (GLY) is the most widely used herbicide worldwide and its use is still increasing. Accumulating evidences show that GLY and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) are more persistent and toxic than expected, but little is known about risks to wildlife. Glufosinate (GLUF) was considered as an alternative broad-spectrum herbicide but its field ecotoxicology has rarely been studied. This study aims at assessing the exposure to GLY, AMPA, and GLUF of free-ranging rodents and shrews from treated (cereals under conventional farming) and nontreated habitats (cereals under organic farming and hedgerows) in France through residue analyses in hair. We investigated the patterns of accumulation according to species, habitats, and treatment intensity at plot, landscape, or township scale. We showed a generalized exposure of small mammals to GLY, AMPA and GLUF as they were detected in all species, in 64%, 51% and 44% of hair samples, respectively. The detection and levels of GLY, AMPA and GLUF were higher in herbivorous and granivorous voles than in insectivorous shrews and omnivorous wild mice. The three compounds showed comparable ranges of concentrations but the highest were reached for GLY (0.018-7.74 pg/mg with a maximum of 522 pg/mg). The frequencies of detection and concentrations did not significantly differ according to farming practices or proxies of pesticide treatment intensity. The concentrations of GLY were higher in individuals captured in hedgerows than in cereal fields. Based on dose reconstruction approaches and toxicological thresholds from the literature, GLY and GLUF levels may be associated to risk in small mammals and endanger local populations. Our findings raise issues about the omnipresence of GLY, AMPA and GLUF in agricultural landscapes including in animals from habitats considered as refuges, questioning their ecological safety. This work provides new insights into current broad-spectrum herbicide wildlife ecotoxicology that may support decision making to protect biodiversity.

Mots clés: agro-ecosystem; bioaccumulation; currently used pesticides; landscape ecotoxicology; wildlife toxicology

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

Clémentine Fritsch, Brice Mr Appenzeller, Colette Bertrand, Michael Coeurdassier, Vincent Driget, et al.. Exposure of wild mammals to glyphosate, AMPA, and glufosinate: a case for "emerging organic contaminants"?. 2024. ⟨hal-04485797⟩