Life Sciences Commons^™

Potential Effects Of Insecticides On The Survival Of Dabbling Duck Broods, Patrick W. Brown, Malcolm L. Hunter Jr.

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

The effect of insecticides on the survival of dabbling duck broods was investigated by reviewing studies of natural brood survival and depression of growth rates for ducklings raised on wetlands treated with insecticides. Ducklings raised on an insecticide-treated wetland took 5 days longer to reach the normal 14-day body weight. Normal brood mortality for three species of dabbling ducks was highest in the first two weeks of life and ranged from 25% to 51%. High mortality of young ducklings is probably related to their small size. Thus, mortality rates could be in creased to 35% to 70% because of the …