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Organochlorine Pesticide Concentrations in Sediment and Amphibian Tissue in Playa Wetlands in the Southern High Plains, USA

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Abstract

Playa wetlands are critical habitat for wildlife in the Southern High Plains (SHP), a region dominated by agriculture. Little information on pesticide levels exists for playas, and thus we measured organochlorine pesticide concentrations in sediment and amphibians collected from playas in cropland and grassland watersheds. Heptachlor, α- and β-BHC, γ-chlordane, and dieldrin were detected in sediment and/or tissue samples, typically at or below 1 ng/g, dry weight. However, mean DDT and DDE reached 19.7 and 4.1 ng/g in sediments and 6.3 and 2.4 ng/g in tissues, respectively. Land use did not influence pesticide levels in sediment or amphibians.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by Environmental Protection Agency project R-82964101-0 and National Science Foundation project DMS-0201105. We thank the numerous landowners who granted us access to field sites. We thank Xiaoping Pan, Kang Tian, and George P. Cobb for help with chemical analyses.

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Author notes

  1. Louise S. Venne

    Present address: Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Toxicology, The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, MS 1163, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA

    Louise S. Venne & Todd A. Anderson

  2. Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA

    Baohong Zhang

  3. Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Loren M. Smith & Scott T. McMurry

Authors
  1. Louise S. Venne
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  2. Todd A. Anderson
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  3. Baohong Zhang
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  4. Loren M. Smith
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  5. Scott T. McMurry
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Correspondence to Louise S. Venne.

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Venne, L.S., Anderson, T.A., Zhang, B. et al. Organochlorine Pesticide Concentrations in Sediment and Amphibian Tissue in Playa Wetlands in the Southern High Plains, USA. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 80, 497–501 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-008-9457-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-008-9457-y

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