Paisley Thomson
Ph.D. Candidate
Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre
Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
2018 - Present
Supervisor(s): Valérie Langlois
Research Project: The effects of chronic exposure to agricultural retention pond water in amphibians
My research focuses on the implications of agricultural run-off on amphibians. Retention ponds are becoming more frequently implemented in the agroecosystem as a means to attenuate the impacts of agricultural run-off directly entering surface waters. However, one of the consequences of using retention ponds is the attraction of wildlife to these constructed wetlands (e.g., as breeding grounds for amphibians). The main objective of this project is to investigate the effects of chronic exposure of the American toad (Anaxyrus (Bufo) americanus) to water from an agricultural retention pond. Preliminary results indicate that American toad tadpoles exposed to the pesticide mixture were significantly smaller and completed metamorphosis an average of 2 days earlier compared to control animals. These morphological and developmental disruptions corresponded to an alteration of hepatic gene expression of genes related to thyroid hormone signalling. This ongoing work will provide environmentally realistic information on the potential effects of agricultural activities and pesticide mixtures on a Canadian amphibian species. As well, it may provide insight on the efficacy and ecological impacts of retention ponds as mediators of agricultural releases.
Cuprys A, Thomson P, Ouarda Y, Suresh G, Rouissi T, Brar SK, Drogui P, Surampalli RY. (2021) Corrigendum to Ciprofloxacin removal via sequential electro-oxidation and enzymatic oxidation. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 389: 121890.
Cuprys A, Thomson P, Suresh G, Roussi T, Brar SK, Drogui P. (2021) Potential of agro-industrial produced laccase to remove ciprofloxacin. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
Thomson P, Pineda M, Yargeau V, Langlois VS. (2021) Chronic Exposure to Two Gestagens Differentially Alters Morphology and Gene Expression in Silurana tropicalis. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 80(4):745-759.
Trudeau VL, Thomson P, Zhang WS, Reyaud S, Navarro-Martin L, Langlois VS. (2020) Agrochemicals disrupt multiple endocrine axes in amphibians. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 110861.