Affiliation: California State University- San Bernardino
Keywords: i. lifespan; d. gonads
Growing evidence shows that some herbicides, including those intended to target plants, can be toxic to non-target animals and even humans, and that toxin residues remain in our food and water and pass to us through consumption. Our previous work, focused on glyphosate-based RoundupⓇ formulations, indicates that Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies are a good model species to study these toxic effects on animals, by investigating their behavior, reproduction, anatomy, development, and mortality. This present study compares the toxicity of commercial glyphosate-based herbicide formulations to the toxicity of their key ingredients, alone and in specific mixtures. We hope to gain a better understanding of the toxic effects that glyphosate and other key ingredients lend to the toxicity of the formulations they are contained within, as well as that produced by the combination and interaction of the ingredients themselves. Preliminary results indicate that Glyphosate alone is not as toxic as the RoundupⓇ formulations tested, which suggests that other ingredients, such as the known or unknown surfactants, are contributing to the overall toxicity of these formulations.