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Tsukada E, Rodrigues CC, Jacintho JC, Franco-Belussi L, Jones-Costa M, Abdalla FC, Rocha TL, Salla RF. The amphibian's spleen as a source of biomarkers for ecotoxicity assessment: Historical review and trends. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 901:165915. [PMID: 37532037 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Amphibians are very sensitive to many environmental changes, so these animals are considered good bioindicator models for ecotoxicology. Given the importance of the amphibian spleen for hematopoietic and immune responses, this can be a key organ for the evaluation of biomarkers to monitor the health of individuals in nature or in captivity. In this systematic review, we searched databases and summarized the main findings concerning the amphibian spleen as a source of possible biomarkers applied in different scientific fields. The searches resulted in 83 articles published from 1923 to 2022, which applied the use of splenic samples to evaluate the effects of distinct stressors on amphibians. Articles were distributed in more than twenty countries, with USA, Europe, and Brazil, standing out among them. Publications focused mainly on anatomical and histomorphological characterization of the spleen, its physiology, and development. Recently, the use of splenic biomarkers in pathology and ecotoxicology began to grow but many gaps still need to be addressed in herpetological research. About 85 % of the splenic biomarkers showed responses to various stressors, which indicates that the spleen can provide numerous biomarkers to be used in many study fields. The limited amount of information on morphological description and splenic anatomy in amphibians may be a contributing factor to the underestimated use of splenic biomarkers in herpetological research around the world. We hope that this unprecedented review can instigate researchers to refine herpetological experimentation, using the spleen as a versatile and alternative source for biomarkers in ecotoxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabete Tsukada
- Post-graduation Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), campus Sorocaba, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cândido C Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline C Jacintho
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Lilian Franco-Belussi
- Departament of Biological Sciences, São Paulo State University, campus São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; Laboratory of Experimental Pathology (LAPex), Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Monica Jones-Costa
- Department of Biology, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), campus Sorocaba, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fábio Camargo Abdalla
- Post-graduation Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), campus Sorocaba, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Laboratory of Structural and Functional Biology, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), campus Sorocaba, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thiago Lopes Rocha
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Raquel F Salla
- Post-graduation Program of Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring, Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), campus Sorocaba, Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil.
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DeVore JL, Shine R, Ducatez S. Urbanization and translocation disrupt the relationship between host density and parasite abundance. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1122-1133. [PMID: 31945186 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The species interactions that structure natural communities are increasingly disrupted by radical habitat change resulting from the widespread processes of urbanization and species translocations. Although many species are disadvantaged by these changes, others thrive in these new environments, achieving densities that exceed those in natural habitats. Often the same species that benefit from urbanization are successful invaders in introduced habitats, suggesting that similar processes promote these species in both environments. Both processes may especially benefit certain species by modifying their interactions with harmful parasites ('enemy release'). To detect such modifications, we first need to identify the mechanisms underlying host-parasite associations in natural populations, then test whether they are disrupted in cities and introduced habitats. We studied the interaction between the cane toad Rhinella marina, a globally invasive species native to South America, and its Amblyomma ticks. Our field study of 642 cane toads across 46 sites within their native range in French Guiana revealed that 56% of toads carried ticks, and that toads with ticks were in poor body condition relative to uninfected conspecifics. Across natural and disturbed habitats tick prevalence and abundance increased with toad density, but this association was disrupted in the urban environment, where tick abundance remained low even where toad densities were high, and prevalence decreased with density. Reductions in the abundance of ticks in urban habitats may be attributable to pesticides (which are sprayed for mosquito control but are also lethal to ticks), and our literature review shows that tick abundance is generally lower in cane toads from urban habitats across South America. In the invasive range, ticks were either absent (in 1,960 toads from Puerto Rico, Hawai'i, Japan and Australia) or less abundant (in Florida and the Caribbean; literature review). The positive relationship between host density and parasite abundance is thought to be a key mechanism through which parasites regulate host populations; anthropogenic processes that disrupt this relationship may allow populations in urban and introduced habitats to persist at densities that would otherwise lead to severe impacts from parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayna L DeVore
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard Shine
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Simon Ducatez
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,CREAF (Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
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