Does small mammal prey guild affect the exposure of predators to anticoagulant rodenticides?

Tosh, David G.; McDonald, Robbie A.; Bearhop, Stuart; Lllewellyn, N.R.; Fee, S.; Sharp, E.A.; Barnett, Elizabeth A.; Shore, Richard F.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2011.03.028

Cited by 36 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This simple assessment of risk contrasts with the finding that 84 % of foxes from the same geographical area contained AR liver residues and that 16 % contained liver residues of bromadiolone greater than 0.8 lg/g wet weight (Tosh et al 2011b), a residue level associated with mortality in foxes (Berny et al 1997). Residues in any wood mice and house mice that were lethally poisoned would likely be higher than in animals captured in the present study and there may be selective predation of dead and moribund rodents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

“…ARs other than the stated active ingredient were found in baits and may also account for the detection of multiple residues in wood mice, especially when livers contained predominantly one compound and only traces of others. This may also partly account for the high frequency of detection of multiple residues in predatory birds and mammals that have been previously attributed to multiple exposure events (McDonald et al 1998;Tosh et al 2011b;Walker et al 2008bWalker et al , 2010. Our study suggests that the ranging behaviour of prey species and contamination of baits may both be explanatory factors for the presence of multiple compounds in prey and predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Rodenticide exposure in wood mouse and house mouse populations on farms and potential secondary risk to predators

et al. 2012

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We compared capture rates and exposure to SGARs of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and house mice (Mus domesticus) in autumn/winter on farms that currently used, had previously used, and never used SGARs. 6-10 weeks after baiting programmes began, 15 % of 55 wood mice and 33 % of 12 house mice had detectable liver SGAR residues. Wood mice with residues occurred on farms not using rodenticides, reflecting the high mobility of these animals, and four had multiple liver residues, possibly due to cross-contamination of baits. The winter decline in wood mouse numbers was similar on farms that did and did not use SGARs, suggesting little long-term impact of SGARs on populations on farms. Our results indicate residual levels of rodenticides will be ever present in small mammal prey across the agricultural landscape unless all farms in a locality cease application. The implications for secondary exposure and poisoning of predators are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 52%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Rodenticide exposure in wood mouse and house mouse populations on farms and potential secondary risk to predators

et al. 2012

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“…It was notably shown that the residues measured in rodents trapped alive may lead to daily doses higher than LD50 (the median lethal dose) determined for different predators (Coeurdassier et al 2012;Giraudoux et al 2006;Tosh et al 2011). However, following experimental exposure to ARs, it was observed that poisoned rats changed their behavior, half of the monitored specimens dying away from cover, and so, were more vulnerable to predation (Cox and Smith 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Scavenging of rodent carcasses following simulated mortality due to field applications of anticoagulant rodenticide

2014

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Worldwide, agricultural uses of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) cause poisonings of non-target wildlife as observed in France where bromadiolone is used to control water vole outbreaks. Following bromadiolone field application, a part of the vole population may die aboveground of the treated plots and thus, can represent an important risk of secondary poisoning for scavengers. In this study, water voles were trapped in a non-treated area and their carcasses were placed aboveground in plots located in an area where a vole outbreak occurred. Then, the environmental persistence, the diurnal and nocturnal scavenging rates of water vole carcasses were assessed in autumn 2011 and in spring 2012. The diurnal scavenger species were also identified. The environmental persistence of the carcasses to reach at least a scavenging rate of 87.5 % was 0.5-1.5 day. The average rates of diurnal and nocturnal scavenging ranged from 67 to 100 % and 5 to 100 %, respectively. They depended on the composition of the scavenger community present near the monitored plots; diurnal scavenging rates being higher with corvids than with raptors. In autumn, the red kite and the common buzzard were the main scavengers in one of the plots, what suggests a high risk of poisoning for these raptors during post-nuptial migration. So, the collection of vole carcasses after treatments and the limitations of bromadiolone applications when high densities of predators/scavengers are observed could be implemented to mitigate the risks of secondary poisoning.

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“…Predators can accumulate ARs through ingesting bait (primary exposure), by consuming poisoned prey (secondary exposure), or by ingesting prey secondarily exposed to ARs (tertiary exposure; Daniels 2013;Gabriel et al 2018). Wildlife studies in Europe and North America have shown 23-100% AR occurrence in liver samples from predators such as American mink (Neovison vison;Ruiz-Suárez et al 2016), bobcats (Lynx rufus; Riley et al 2007;Serieys et al 2013), stoats (Mustela erminea) and weasels (Mustela nivalis; McDonald et al 1998;Elmeros et al 2011), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes; Tosh et al 2011;Tjus 2014), polecats (Mustela putorius; Shore et al 2003), and stone martens (Martes foina; Elmeros et al 2018). In Norway SGARs have been detected in raptors found dead in the wild, such as the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and eagle owl (Bubo bubo; Langford et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Feces of Wild Red Foxes (Vulpes Vulpes) in Norway

Seljetun

Eliassen

Madslien

et al. 2019

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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High occurrence of anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) in wildlife is a rising concern, with numerous reports of secondary exposure through predation. Because of widespread distribution of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), they may act as sentinels for small mammal-hunting predators in rural, suburban, and urban areas. No AR surveillance in wild mammals with analyses of residues in feces has been conducted throughout a single country. We collected 163 fecal samples from presumed healthy red foxes from 18 out of 19 counties in Norway. The foxes were shot during regular hunting between January and December 2016 and samples collected directly after death. Fecal samples were analyzed for six ARs: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, coumatetralyl, difenacoum, difethialone, and flocoumafen. We detected ARs in 54% (75/139) of the animals. Brodifacoum was most frequently detected (46%; 64/139), followed by coumatetralyl (17%; 23/139), bromadiolone (16%; 22/139), difenacoum (5%; 7/139), difethialone (1%; 2/139), and flocoumafen (1%; 2/139). More than one substance was detected in 40% (30/75) of the positive foxes, and 7% (5/75) of these animals were exposed to four different ARs. There were no statistically significant seasonal, age, or sex differences in foxes after exposure to one AR compound. We found a significant difference in occurrence of brodifacoum and coumatetralyl in foxes from different geographical areas. These findings demonstrate fecal analyses as a valuable method of detecting AR exposure in red foxes. We suggest using direct fecal sampling with analyses as a method to evaluate the occurrence of ARs in live endangered wildlife in connection with radio tagging or collaring operations.

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Does small mammal prey guild affect the exposure of predators to anticoagulant rodenticides?

Cited by 36 publications

References 29 publications

Rodenticide exposure in wood mouse and house mouse populations on farms and potential secondary risk to predators

Rodenticide exposure in wood mouse and house mouse populations on farms and potential secondary risk to predators

Scavenging of rodent carcasses following simulated mortality due to field applications of anticoagulant rodenticide

Prevalence of Anticoagulant Rodenticides in Feces of Wild Red Foxes (Vulpes Vulpes) in Norway

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