Roundup Kills Frogs as well as Tadpoles, Pitt Biologist Finds

The Center for North American Herpetology ^ | 8/11/05 | Rick A. Relyea

[GreenFreeper]

Not very surprising as Roundup is not supposed to be used in wetlands. Now if the results were similar using Rodeo then we have something to talk about!

[dead]

Roundup is poison. How can poison kill frogs?

[MIT-Elephant]

"The Center for North American Herpetology"

Why do they care about frogs when they're supposed to be studying herpes?

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

The frogs probably absorb it through their skin.

[cripplecreek]

I don't use anything on my lawn and I'm over run with grass frogs. Ive never seen so many of the bug eaters.

[GreenFreeper]

Eco-Ping!

[PeterPrinciple]

I have a lot of frogs on my farm until the tenant sprays his roundup ready corn................

[Boundless]

> Roundup is poison. How can poison kill frogs?

"Previous studies have determined that it is Roundup®’s
surfactant (polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, an
"inert" ingredient added to make the herbicide penetrate
plant leaves) and not the active herbicide (glyphosate)
that is lethal to amphibians."

Sounds like it's not the active ingredient that's the
problem, and a reformulation might fix it.

[HiTech RedNeck]

We need to evolve a roundup-proof frog.

[Khepera]

why? Is there skin like a paper towel? Maybe frogs are like super absorbant tampons. I don't really know.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Basically a fancy soap. Other soaps will probably have the same problem.

[PeterPrinciple]

Previous studies have determined that it is Roundup®’s surfactant (polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, an "inert" ingredient added to make the herbicide penetrate plant leaves) and not the active herbicide (glyphosate) that is lethal to amphibians.

Interesting..................It appears to be the surfactant, NOT the roundup itself.

[Boundless]

> We need to evolve a roundup-proof frog.

Since it doesn't kill all of them, that process is
by definition already in progress.

[usafsk]

The propert term is a "Round-up Ready" frog...

A friend from Dupont once told me that you could drink Roundup without ill effect. There were no frogs present, or he might have been less confident.

[dfwgator]

But they would just surrender first...oh wait you mean those frogs, nevermind.

[GreenFreeper]

Sounds like it's not the active ingredient that's the problem, and a reformulation might fix it.

Perhaps, but it's the surfactant that is causing the problems. Roundup or any other herbicide isn't of much use if the chemical rolls of the vegetation. The semi-permeable skin of amphibians is likely to be sensitive to any surfactant regardless of a reformulation.

[cripplecreek]

[Raycpa]

Maybe it kills what they eat and they die from lack of food?

[Paradox]

> We need to evolve a roundup-proof frog.

Since it doesn't kill all of them, that process is by definition already in progress.

Wrong, we need God to wave his magic wand and MAKE such a frog...

Sarcasm, yes.

[ahayes]

"The most striking result from the experiments was that a chemical designed to kill plants killed 98 percent of all tadpoles within three weeks and 79 percent of all frogs within one day."

It doesn't take a frog a day to starve to death.

This is quite disappointing, it sounds very lethal. Probably has the same effect on other amphibians as well.