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Fernandez-de-Simon J, Díaz-Ruiz F, Jareño D, Domínguez JC, Lima-Barbero JF, de Diego N, Santamaría AE, Herrero-Villar M, Camarero PR, Olea PP, García JT, Mateo R, Viñuela J. Weasel exposure to the anticoagulant rodenticide bromadiolone in agrarian landscapes of southwestern Europe. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:155914. [PMID: 35569667 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bromadiolone is an anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) commonly used as a plant protection product (PPP) against rodent pests in agricultural lands. ARs can be transferred trophically to predators/scavengers when they consume intoxicated live or dead rodents. ARs exposure in weasels Mustela nivalis, small mustelids specialized on rodent predation, is poorly known in southern Europe. Moreover, in this species there is no information on bioaccumulation of AR diastereomers e.g., cis- and trans-bromadiolone. Trans-bromadiolone is more persistent in the rodent liver and thus, is expected to have a greater probability of trophic transfer to predators. Here, we report on bromadiolone occurrence, total concentrations and diastereomers proportions (trans- and cis-bromadiolone) in weasels from Castilla y León (north-western Spain) collected in 2010-2017, where bromadiolone was irregularly applied to control outbreaks of common voles Microtus arvalis mainly with cereal grain bait distributed by the regional government. We also tested variables possibly associated with bromadiolone occurrence and concentration, such as individual features (e.g., sex), spatio-temporal variables (e.g., year), and exposure risk (e.g., vole outbreaks). Overall bromadiolone occurrence in weasels was 22% (n = 32, arithmetic mean of concentration of bromadiolone positives = 0.072 mg/kg). An individual showed signs of bromadiolone intoxication (i.e., evidence of macroscopic hemorrhages or hyperaemia and hepatic bromadiolone concentration > 0.1 mg/kg). All the exposed weasels (n = 7) showed only trans-bromadiolone diastereomer in liver, whilst a single analyzed bait from those applied in Castilla y León contained trans- and cis-bromadiolone at 65/35%. Bromadiolone occurrence and concentration in weasels varied yearly. Occurrence was higher in 2012 (100% of weasels), when bromadiolone was widely distributed, compared to 2016-2017 (2016: 20%; 2017: 8.33%) when bromadiolone was exceptionally permitted. The highest concentrations happened in 2014 and 2017, both years with vole outbreaks. Our findings indicate that specialist rodent predators could be exposed to bromadiolone in areas and periods with bromadiolone treatments against vole outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Fernandez-de-Simon
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; DITEG Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales y Bioquímica, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida de Carlos III s/n., 45071 Toledo, Spain.
| | - Francisco Díaz-Ruiz
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; Biogeography, Diversity, and Conservation Research Team, Dept. Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Daniel Jareño
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Julio C Domínguez
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - José F Lima-Barbero
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; Sabiotec, Camino de Moledores s/n., 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Noelia de Diego
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Ana E Santamaría
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Herrero-Villar
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Pablo R Camarero
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Pedro P Olea
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Univ. Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús T García
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Javier Viñuela
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
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Dell’Agnello F, Mazza V, Martini M, Bertolino S, Capizzi D, Riga F, Zaccaroni M. Trap type and positioning: how to trap Savi’s pine voles using the tunnel system. MAMMALIA 2018. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2017-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Savi’s pine vole, Microtus savii, is the most widespread Italian vole species, an important rodent pest in agriculture and yet one of the least studied species. One of the reasons for this gap in knowledge is that members of this species are quite difficult to capture with standard trapping procedures, being fossorial and rarely active aboveground. For this reason, we developed a protocol that maximizes trapping success. This method requires the identification of active tunnel holes and the placement of traps directly in front of the exits. We also compared capture and recapture rates of Savi’s pine voles in three different trap types: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Longworth and Ugglan. If properly equipped with food and nesting material, INRA, Longworth and Ugglan traps showed similar capture rates, but the recapture rate of Ugglan traps was the highest of the three kinds of traps. These results, in combination with the species’ fossorial and social habits, lead us to conclude that Ugglan traps are the best suited for studies on Savi’s pine voles. Our results may have implications for planning and implementing management strategies based on traps rather than rodenticides, as well as field studies on other fossorial small mammals.
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Mammalian predator-prey interaction in a fragmented landscape: weasels and voles. Oecologia 2013; 173:1227-35. [PMID: 23728797 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2691-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 04/15/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between predators and prey is thought to change due to habitat loss and fragmentation, but patterns regarding the direction of the effect are lacking. The common prediction is that specialized predators, often more dependent on a certain habitat type, should be more vulnerable to habitat loss compared to generalist predators, but actual fragmentation effects are unknown. If a predator is small and vulnerable to predation by other larger predators through intra-guild predation, habitat fragmentation will similarly affect both the prey and the small predator. In this case, the predator is predicted to behave similarly to the prey and avoid open and risky areas. We studied a specialist predator's, the least weasel, Mustela nivalis nivalis, spacing behavior and hunting efficiency on bank voles, Myodes glareolus, in an experimentally fragmented habitat. The habitat consisted of either one large habitat patch (non-fragmented) or four small habitat patches (fragmented) with the same total area. The study was replicated in summer and autumn during a year with high avian predation risk for both voles and weasels. As predicted, weasels under radio-surveillance killed more voles in the non-fragmented habitat which also provided cover from avian predators during their prey search. However, this was only during autumn, when the killing rate was also generally high due to cold weather. The movement areas were the same for both sexes and both fragmentation treatments, but weasels of both sexes were more prone to take risks in crossing the open matrix in the fragmented treatment. Our results support the hypothesis that habitat fragmentation may increase the persistence of specialist predator and prey populations if predators are limited in the same habitat as their prey and they share the same risk from avian predation.
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