Abstract: To explore whether herbicide induced water pollution can affect the adaption of animal by damaging the waterproof layer of their bodies, we examined the effects of three widely used herbicides (glufosinate, glyphosate and bispyribac-sodium) in China on the waterproof performance and swimming ability of Apodemus agrarius. The results showed that: (1) The waterproof of the fur of Apodemus agrarius swimming in the three herbicide aqueous solutions (at application concentrations in farmland) was significantly lower than that in the control, with no gender difference in this performance. (2) Higher concentration of herbicide led to greater damage to waterproof properties of mouse fur. (3) When the concentrations of glufosinate, glyphosate and bispyribac-sodium reduced to 0.033‰, 0.068‰ and 0.00165‰ respectively, they no longer damage the waterproof properties of mouse fur. Our results indicate that herbicide-induced water pollution can damage waterproof properties of small mammals such as Apodemus agrarius, thereby affecting their aquatic adaptations and potentially causing negative impacts on their survival in water environments such as wetlands.

Key words: Apodemus agrarius, herbicide, water pollution, aquatic adaptation, waterproof property of fur