Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Surveillance of Organochlorine Pesticide Contamination in Blackbuck Habitats of Odisha through Toxicokinetic Approach |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Focus area : | Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Conservation |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. B AnjanKumar Prusty, Berhampur University, Odisha |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | anjaneia@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | Demographic pressures in terms of deforestation, land use changes, agricultural expansion, monoculture plantations have been leading to ever increasing stress on free ranging herbivores such as antelopes. The collateral environmental (ecosystem health and wildlife health) impacts of agricultural intensification have been inevitable. The known predominant habitats of blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) in Ganjam district in Odisha has been under such anthropogenic pressures, as detailed above. The area also experiences stone quarrying in the hillocks located amidst the blackbuck’s preferred territory, electric fencing of private property by many land owners (largely for cash crop and monoculture plantations). An appreciable increase in the population of this species (~ 47%) in last one decade is associated with reports of range expansion of this to other areas, with no prior records of its’ distribution. Paradoxically, a 30% increase in pesticide application in the farmlands in the district with Oraganochlorine Pesticide (OCP) being the dominant group is also reported. The trophic levels (soil and vegetation) establish the exposure pathway of the OCPs to blackbuck, and being environmentally persistent and lipophilic, OCPs can induce an array of toxicological impacts in blackbucks, including endocrine disruptions. Earlier studies on this species (natural history and general ecology) forms a base for a comprehensive surveillance of OCP contamination of blackbuck habitats. The study will i) examine the magnitude of OCP residues in trophic levels in the Blackbuck habitats, ii) assess spatio-temporal distinctions of OCP contamination, iii) evaluate the scale of eco-toxicological impacts of OCPs through toxicokinetic models and iv) assess the magnitude of OCP accumulation in Blackbucks (through dietary intake and faecal pellets). The present project will involve sampling of soil and vegetation from the identified locations, and faecal pellets from identified herds of Blackbucks; processing of the samples following standardized analytical methods for extraction of OCP residues (solvent extraction following QuEChERS and d-SPE methods), analysis of samples using GC-MS system, and employing established toxicokinetic models (of USEPA) to the datasets to determine different indices (Bioaccumulation Factor and Bioconcentration Factor). Due to legal constraints and conservation implications, a non-invasive approach shall be followed to measure the level of OCPs in the organisms (in faecal pellets). This study will help in understanding the trophic level flow of OCP residues in Blackbuck habitats, and bioaccumulation pattern of OCP residues in Blackbucks. Further, optimization of analytical protocols for OCP residue determination in faecal pellets and establishment of non- invasive models in studying bioaccumulation patterns (based on feeding rate and faecal egestion rate) could help furthering research programmes in wildlife toxicology. |
Total Budget (INR): | 26,97,170 |
Organizations involved