Nouvel article dans Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Comparison of pesticide contamination between captive-reared and wild grey partridges: insights into environmental exposure disparities
Léa Bariod, Agathe Gaffard, Anaïs Rodrigues, Maurice Millet, Vincent Bretagnolle, Olivier Pays, Karine Monceau, Jérôme Moreau

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34925-z 

Résumé : Pesticide contamination is often cited as a key factor in the global decline of farmland birds. However, the majority of studies on pesticide exposure in non-target fauna are not representative of what happens in nature because they are limited to artifcial conditions. The aim of this study was to defne and compare, for the frst time, pesticide contamination in grey partridges (Perdix perdix) from two diferent contexts, i.e., captivity vs. the wild. Blood samples taken from 35 captive and 54 wild partridges in 2021–2022 were analysed for 94 pesticides most commonly used in French agriculture. Captive partridges had 29 molecules detected in their blood (12 herbicides, 14 fungicides, and three insecticides) compared to wild partridges, which had 50 molecules (13 herbicides, 23 fungicides, and 14 insecticides). Of these pesticide compounds found in individuals, 26 were banned. Captive partridges had signifcantly fewer pesticide molecules than wild partridges, with one to 14 pesticides per captive individual and 8 to 20 pesticides per wild individual. Nineteen molecules were common to both groups, with concentrations up to three times higher in wild partridges than in captive partridges. Our results thus show multiple exposures for most of our individuals, especially in wild partridges, which can lead to cocktail efects, which are never considered. Furthermore, the diference in contamination between the wild and captive partridges refects the multiple routes of contamination in nature, in particular, due to the use of a wide range of habitats by wild partridges.