Morphophysiological traits of an amphibian exposed to historical industrial pollution in a Brazilian biodiversity hotspot

Autor(es)

Santana, Erika ^[1] ; Schiesari, Luis ^{[1, 2]} ; Gomes, Fernando ^[3] ; Martins, Marcio ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Ecol, Inst Biociencias, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Gestao Ambiental, Escola Artes Ciencias & Humanidades, BR-03828000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Fisiol Geral, Inst Biociencias, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Amphibia-Reptilia; v. 42, n. 3, p. 283-295, JUL 2021.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Industrial pollution is a significant global threat to biodiversity, but its consequences on rainforest ecosystems remain poorly understood. Amphibians are especially susceptible to pollutants released on natural environments due to their aquatic-terrestrial life cycle. Here, we explored the association of severe historical air, water, and soil pollution with physiological and morphological alterations on Rhinella ornata individuals, an endemic toad species of Atlantic Forest, a world biodiversity hotspot. We hypothesized that individuals sampled in sites closer to the pollution source will present worse indicators of health. As predicted, toads at decreasing distances from the pollution source presented enlargement of organs related to detoxification function (liver and kidneys) and compensatory immunological function (spleen). Contrary to our predictions, however, we do not found significant effects of proximity to the pollution source on individuals' body condition index, on the indicative of fertility (testicles masses) or on macroparasite infection's response (eosinophil counts). Surprisingly, proximity to the pollution source was associated with lower chronic stress levels (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio) on individuals. We discuss which processes could promote the alterations found on the toads. We also discuss the possible acquirement of local resistance to contamination on toads populations closer from pollution source, giving the more than 60 years of exposure to chemical contaminants in the area. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 08/57939-9 - Impactos da expansão da agroindústria da cana-de-açúcar sobre comunidades aquáticas
• Beneficiário: Luis Cesar Schiesari
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOEN - Jovens Pesquisadores
• Processo FAPESP: 18/14091-1 - Efeitos de alterações de habitat sobre comunidades de anfíbios e répteis Squamata: subsídios para programas de manejo, avaliações de risco de extinção e planos de ação de conservação
• Beneficiário: Marcio Roberto Costa Martins
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 14/16320-7 - Impactos das mudanças climáticas e ambientais sobre a fauna: uma abordagem integrativa
• Beneficiário: Carlos Arturo Navas Iannini
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa de Pesquisa sobre Mudanças Climáticas Globais - Temático