Behavioral responses of the Strawberry Poison Frog (Oophaga pumilio) to herbicide olfactory cues: possible implications for habitat selection and movement in altered landscapes

Abstract

Recent research has focused on the importance of behavior in mediating the effects of landscape change on amphibian populations and communities. Factors such as chemical contaminants may affect habitat selection and movement of amphibians in human-altered habitats and contribute to landscape-level patterns of distribution and abundance. The objective of this study was to determine if the Strawberry Poison Frog (Oophaga pumilio (Schmidt, 1857)) can use olfactory cues to detect and avoid the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup™. Fifty frogs were captured in the field in Costa Rica and tested in experimental arenas where they were given a choice between a control and an herbicide treatment. Analysis of time spent in treatment areas revealed a significant interaction between sex and treatment. Analyses of choice at the start and end of the trials indicated that sex and cardinal direction were important factors influencing orientation behavior. These results suggest that males and females differed in their behavioral responses, and that male O. pumilio may use olfactory cues to detect and avoid areas treated with glyphosate-based herbicide. However, the sampled population was male-biased, which resulted in a lower sample size and lower power to detect an effect for females. Further work is needed to better understand amphibian behavioral responses to herbicides, as well as the role of sex and individual variation in modifying these responses.