1
|
Vargová V, Balogová M, Figurová M, Bočkay A, Pipová N, Kaňuch P, Uhrin M. Skeletal morphology and fluctuating asymmetry of the European green toad, Bufotes viridis, in contrasting habitats. AMPHIBIA-REPTILIA 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/15685381-bja10111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Current environment changes and global amphibian decline suggest specific responses assuming urbanisation potential of the species. Amphibians are generally considered to be suitable bio-indicators of environmental health due to their ecological requirements. Therefore, fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a measure of small random deviations from bilateral symmetry is used for assessing morphological disruptions and parallelly the environment health. We measured the snout-vent length and lengths of five skeletal traits of limbs (humerus, radioulna, femur, tibiofibula, calcaneus) among the five European green toad populations from two contrasting habitats (urban and rural). We did not confirm our hypothesis that urban populations would exhibit higher level of FA as an indicator of higher environmental stress comparing to rural populations. However, asymmetry measured on forelimb bones was significantly larger than on hindlimbs. In addition, one urban population had significantly longer limbs comparing to the other sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Viktória Vargová
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P.J. Šafárik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Monika Balogová
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P.J. Šafárik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Mária Figurová
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Andrej Bočkay
- Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Natália Pipová
- Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P.J. Šafárik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| | - Peter Kaňuch
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P.J. Šafárik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Marcel Uhrin
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P.J. Šafárik University, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Izzo G, Ownby D, Snodgrass JW. Stream Salamanders are Relatively Tolerant of Salty Streams. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2022; 82:255-265. [PMID: 34318349 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-021-00875-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The application of road salt as a deicing agent is common, but investigations of potential negative effects of salt runoff on stream salamanders have been limited. Additionally, modern stormwater management practices should influence the delivery of salt ions to streams. We used data loggers in streams draining watersheds with and without stormwater management ponds and acute 96-h LC50 tests to investigate exposure of, and road salt toxicity among, two widespread salamanders in the Eastern USA, northern dusky salamanders (Desmognathus fuscus) and northern two-lined salamanders (Eurycea bislineata). In streams below stormwater ponds, base levels of conductivity were elevated throughout the year and elevated Cl- levels led to more frequent acute and chronic exceedances of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ambient water quality criteria for Cl- when compared to streams draining watersheds with no stormwater management ponds. However, five of the six streams studied had exceedance frequencies suggesting Cl- associated with road salt application represented a persistent threat to aquatic life. Larval stream salamanders were relatively tolerant of salt, not exhibiting any lethal effects over a 96-h period until chloride levels exceeded 5000 mg/L for both species, and concentrations in streams rarely exceeded these levels and only for very short periods of time. Our results suggest road salts are not having acute lethal effects on salamanders in the streams we studied, but exceedance of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ambient water quality standards for Cl- suggest the potential for sublethal and indirect effects of Cl- on salamander populations that require further study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grant Izzo
- Urban Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory, Towson University, Towson, MD, 21252, USA
| | - David Ownby
- Urban Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory, Towson University, Towson, MD, 21252, USA
| | - Joel W Snodgrass
- Urban Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory, Towson University, Towson, MD, 21252, USA.
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cogălniceanu D, Stănescu F, Székely D, Topliceanu TS, Iosif R, Székely P. Age, size and body condition do not equally reflect population response to habitat change in the common spadefoot toad Pelobates fuscus. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11678. [PMID: 34316392 PMCID: PMC8286710 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization impacts biodiversity both directly through physical expansion over land, and indirectly due to land use conversion and human behaviors associated with urban areas. We assessed the response of a common spadefoot toad population (Pelobates fuscus) to habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from urban development by studying changes in size, body condition and age parameters. We compared samples collected in the early 2000s (sample A) and later on during 2012-2014 (sample B). The terrestrial habitats in the study area were severely reduced and fragmented due to the expansion of the human settlement. We found no significant differences in the age parameters between the two sampling periods; the median lifespan shortened from 3.5 (sample A) to 3.0 years (sample B), while the other age parameters were similar in both samples. In contrast, snout-vent length, body mass and body condition experienced a significant decrease over time. Our results suggest that changes in body size and body condition, rather than age parameters, better reflect the response of the common spadefoot toad population to declining habitat quality. Therefore, body measurements can provide reliable estimates of the impact of habitat degradation in amphibian populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Cogălniceanu
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania.,Asociația Chelonia Romania, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Florina Stănescu
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania.,Black Sea Institute for Development and Security Studies, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania.,CEDMOG-Center for Morphological and Genetic Studies of Malignant Pathology, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania
| | - Diana Székely
- Asociația Chelonia Romania, Bucharest, Romania.,Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Laboratorio de Ecología Tropical y Servicios Ecosistémicos (EcoSs Lab), Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Theodor-Sebastian Topliceanu
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania.,Black Sea Institute for Development and Security Studies, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania.,CEDMOG-Center for Morphological and Genetic Studies of Malignant Pathology, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania
| | - Ruben Iosif
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Ovidius University Constanța, Constanța, Romania.,Asociația Chelonia Romania, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Paul Székely
- Asociația Chelonia Romania, Bucharest, Romania.,Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Laboratorio de Ecología Tropical y Servicios Ecosistémicos (EcoSs Lab), Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rojas-Hucks S, Gutleb AC, González CM, Contal S, Mehennaoui K, Jacobs A, Witters HE, Pulgar J. Xenopus laevis as a Bioindicator of Endocrine Disruptors in the Region of Central Chile. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2019; 77:390-408. [PMID: 31422435 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-019-00661-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
One of the direct causes of biodiversity loss is environmental pollution resulting from the use of chemicals. Different kinds of chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants and some heavy metals, can be endocrine disruptors, which act at low doses over a long period of time and have a negative effect on the reproductive and thyroid system in vertebrates worldwide. Research on the effects of endocrine disruptors and the use of bioindicators in neotropical ecosystems where pressure on biodiversity is high is scarce. In Chile, although endocrine disruptors have been detected at different concentrations in the environments of some ecosystems, few studies have been performed on their biological effects in the field. In this work, Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog), an introduced species, is used as a bioindicator for the presence of endocrine disruptors in aquatic systems with different degrees of contamination in a Mediterranean zone in central Chile. For the first time for Chile, alterations are described that can be linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors, such as vitellogenin induction, decreased testosterone in male frogs, and histological changes in gonads. Dioxin-like and oestrogenic activity was detected in sediments at locations where it seem to be related to alterations found in the frogs. In addition, an analysis of land use/cover use revealed that urban soil was the best model to explain the variations in frog health indicators. This study points to the usefulness of an invasive species as a bioindicator for the presence of endocrine-disruptive chemicals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Rojas-Hucks
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Arno C Gutleb
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 5 avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Carlos M González
- Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago, Chile
| | - Servane Contal
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 5 avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Kahina Mehennaoui
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN) Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), 5 avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - An Jacobs
- Department Environmental Health and Risk, Team Applied Bio and Molecular Sciences (ABS), Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Hilda E Witters
- Department Environmental Health and Risk, Team Applied Bio and Molecular Sciences (ABS), Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - José Pulgar
- Departamento de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Córdoba-Aguilar A, Rocha-Ortega M. Damselfly (Odonata: Calopterygidae) Population Decline in an Urbanizing Watershed. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2019; 19:5523070. [PMID: 31253984 PMCID: PMC6599065 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iez063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Reduction of terrestrial vegetation and degradation of water quality are among the factors driving insect population decline in growing cities. In this study, we investigated the extent of habitat deterioration, behavioral and physiological responses, and fitness of a damselfly [Hetaerina americana (F.)] population in a semitropical region in central Mexico. The study population was located in a riverine area that crosses a small urban area (Tehuixtla city). We related two habitat variables (tree/shrub covered area and numbers of wastewater outlets) to presumable damselfly responses (larval and adult abundance, duration of adults exposed directly to sunlight, lipid content and muscle mass, and egg survival) over the years 2002 and 2016. We detected a reduction in terrestrial vegetation cover, an increase in wastewater outlets, and a decrease in larval and adult abundance. Adults were more exposed to sunlight in 2016 than in 2002 and showed a reduced lipid content and muscle mass in 2016. Egg survival also decreased. Although correlative, these results suggest impairment of damselfly condition (via lipid and muscle reduction) and fitness as urbanization increases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alex Córdoba-Aguilar
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70–275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, Mexico
| | - Maya Rocha-Ortega
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo. P. 70–275, Circuito Exterior, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Distrito Federal, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Nocturnal resting behaviour in urban great tits and its relation to anthropogenic disturbance and microclimate. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2624-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
|
7
|
Iglesias-Carrasco M, Head ML, Cabido C. Effect of an immune challenge on the anti-predator response of the green Iberian frog (Pelophylax perezi): the influence of urban habitats. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maider Iglesias-Carrasco
- Department of Evolutionay Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC). José Madrid, Spain
- Department of Herpetology, Aranzadi Science Society. Zorroagagaina, Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| | - Megan L Head
- Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics. Australian National University. Research School of Biology, Linnaeus Way, Acton ACT 2601. Canberra, Australia
| | - Carlos Cabido
- Department of Herpetology, Aranzadi Science Society. Zorroagagaina, Donostia-San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Urban habitats can affect body size and body condition but not immune response in amphibians. Urban Ecosyst 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-017-0685-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
9
|
Negative Phototaxis Results from Avoidance of Light and Temperature in Stream Salamander Larvae. J HERPETOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1670/16-083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
10
|
Liles LA, Cecala KK, Ennen JR, Davenport JM. Elevated temperatures alter competitive outcomes and body condition in southern Appalachian salamanders. Anim Conserv 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- L. A. Liles
- Department of Biology; University of the South; Sewanee TN USA
| | - K. K. Cecala
- Department of Biology; University of the South; Sewanee TN USA
| | - J. R. Ennen
- Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute; Chattanooga TN USA
| | - J. M. Davenport
- Department of Biology; Southeast Missouri State University; Cape Girardeau MO USA
| |
Collapse
|