"PITTSBURGH--The herbicide Roundup® is widely used to eradicate weeds. But a study published today by a University of Pittsburgh researcher finds that the chemical may be eradicating much more than that.
"Pitt assistant professor of biology Rick Relyea found that Roundup®, the second most commonly applied herbicide in the United States, is "extremely lethal" to amphibians. This field experiment is one of the most extensive studies on the effects of pesticides on nontarget organisms in a natural setting, and the results may provide a key link to global amphibian declines."
The amphibians of the world are in real peril. From habitat destruction, from pesiticides, and now herbicides, even to the chloramines we use to keep our water disease-free. I found a newt skeleton in my backyard a few months ago, and one of the neighbor kids recalls finding newts under stones and logs here. But i haven't seen a live newt in a long time.
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