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Ruthsatz K, Schwarz A, Gomez-Mestre I, Meyer R, Domscheit M, Bartels F, Schaeffer SM, Engelkes K. Life in plastic, it's not fantastic: Sublethal effects of polyethylene microplastics ingestion throughout amphibian metamorphosis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 885:163779. [PMID: 37146798 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MP) are an abundant, long-lasting, and widespread type of environmental pollution that is of increasing concern as it might pose a serious threat to ecosystems and species. However, these threats are still largely unknown for amphibians. Here, we used the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) as a model species to investigate whether polyethylene MP ingestion affects amphibian growth and development and leads to metabolic changes across two consecutive life stages (larvae and juveniles). Furthermore, we examined whether MP effects were more pronounced at higher rearing temperatures. Larval growth, development, and body condition were recorded, and standard metabolic rate (SMR) and levels of stress hormone (corticosterone, CORT) were measured. We determined variation in size, morphology, and hepatosomatic index in juveniles to identify any potential consequences of MP ingestion across metamorphosis. In both life stages, MP accumulation in the body was assessed. MP ingestion was found to result in sublethal effects on larval growth, development, and metabolism, to lead to allometric carry-over effects on juvenile morphology, and to accumulate in the specimens at both life stages. In larvae, SMR and developmental rate increased in response to MP ingestion; there additionally was a significant interaction of MP ingestion and temperature on development. CORT levels were higher in larvae that ingested MP, except at higher temperature. In juveniles, body was wider, and extremities were longer in animals exposed to MP during the larval stage; a high rearing temperature in combination with MP ingestion counteracted this effect. Our results provide first insights into the effects of MP on amphibians throughout metamorphosis and demonstrate that juvenile amphibians may act as a pathway for MP from freshwater to terrestrial environments. To allow for generalizations across amphibian species, future experiments need to consider the field prevalence and abundance of different MP in amphibians at various life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Ruthsatz
- Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Anja Schwarz
- Institute of Geosystems and Bioindication, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ivan Gomez-Mestre
- Ecology, Evolution, and Development Group, Department Ecology and Evolution, Doñana Biological Station, CSIC, 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Ruth Meyer
- Institute of Geosystems and Bioindication, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Marie Domscheit
- Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Fabian Bartels
- Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Sarah-Maria Schaeffer
- Institute of Geosystems and Bioindication, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Langer Kamp 19c, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Karolin Engelkes
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany; Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
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Kijanović A, Vukov T, Mirč M, Krizmanić I, Tomašević Kolarov N. Inability of yellow‐bellied toad to accelerate metamorphosis in desiccation conditions. J Zool (1987) 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Kijanović
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - T. Vukov
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - M. Mirč
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - I. Krizmanić
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Zoology University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
| | - N. Tomašević Kolarov
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
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Scaramella N, Mausbach J, Laurila A, Stednitz S, Räsänen K. Short-term responses of Rana arvalis tadpoles to pH and predator stress: adaptive divergence in behavioural and physiological plasticity? J Comp Physiol B 2022; 192:669-682. [PMID: 35857071 PMCID: PMC9388420 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-022-01449-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Environmental stress is a major driver of ecological and evolutionary processes in nature. To cope with stress, organisms can adjust through phenotypic plasticity and/or adapt through genetic change. Here, we compared short-term behavioural (activity) and physiological (corticosterone levels, CORT) responses of Rana arvalis tadpoles from two divergent populations (acid origin, AOP, versus neutral origin, NOP) to acid and predator stress. Tadpoles were initially reared in benign conditions at pH 7 and then exposed to a combination of two pH (acid versus neutral) and two predator cue (predator cue versus no predator cue) treatments. We assessed behavioural activity within the first 15 min, and tissue CORT within 8 and 24 h of stress exposure. Both AOP and NOP tadpoles reduced their activity in acidic pH, but the response to the predator cue differed between the populations: AOP tadpoles increased whereas NOP tadpoles decreased their activity. The AOP and NOP tadpoles differed also in their CORT responses, with AOP being more responsive (CORT levels of NOP tadpoles did not differ statistically across treatments). After 8 h exposure, AOP tadpoles had elevated CORT levels in the acid-predator cue treatment and after 24 h exposure they had elevated CORT levels in all three stress treatments (relative to the benign neutral-no-cue treatment). These results suggest that adaptation to environmental acidification in R. arvalis is mediated, in part, via behavioural and hormonal plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Scaramella
- Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden. .,Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Almas Alé 8, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Jelena Mausbach
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600, Duebendorf, Switzerland. .,Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Anssi Laurila
- Animal Ecology/Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sarah Stednitz
- Department Sensory and Sensorimotor Systems, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Max-Planck-Ring 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Ueberlandstrasse 133, 8600, Duebendorf, Switzerland.,Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Survontie 9C, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland
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Mausbach J, Laurila A, Räsänen K. Correction to: Context dependent variation in corticosterone and phenotypic divergence of Rana arvalis populations along an acidification gradient. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:26. [PMID: 35255834 PMCID: PMC8900357 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-01982-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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