Amphibians - Science topic

Imidacloprid is one of the most widely used insecticides in the world. The neurotoxicity of imidacloprid in adult amphibians has not been studied thoroughly. We investigated the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL) and angiostatin in the amphibian brain to identify valid biomarkers of low dose imidac...

1) Many amphibian declines are correlated with increasing levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR). While disease is often implicated in declines, environmental factors such as temperature and UVR play an important role in disease epidemiology. 2) The mutagenic effects of UVR exposure on amphibians are worse at low temperatures. Amphibians from cold e...

Ecophysiology and herpetology share a close historical relationship, but earlier work at the interface of these disciplines was carried out in temperate regions. Tropical regions like the Neotropics exhibit the highest species richness for amphibians and reptiles, but the pace for ecophysiological research on tropical herpetofauna has been slower r...

Between 2000 and 2022, a study in Uzbekistan examined 1822 amphibians (624 Bufotes genus, 1198 Pelophylax genus) to assess helminth biodiversity. Species studied included Perrin's Green Toad, Pewzow's Toad, Turan Toad, Terentiev Water Frog, Pelophylax sp., and Pelophylax terentievi × Pelophylax sp. hybrid. The study revealed the presence of 66 spec...

Faunal inventories contribute to our understanding of regional diversity, and are fundamental for policy and decision-making regarding the management and conservation of large natural areas. This study aimed to inventory and compile information on amphibian species occurring in the North Pantanal region, in the municipal limits of Cáceres, Mato Gro...

In response to climate change, the assisted migration of trees to latitudes more conducive to their growth is considered to maintain forest species diversity. However, this relocation, combined with silvicultural treatments, can alter the habitat of endemic small fauna such as amphibians and invertebrates. In this context, we aimed to assess the im...

Ephemeral wetlands are globally important systems that are regulated by regular cycles of wetting and drying, which are primarily controlled by responses to relatively short-term weather events ( e.g. , precipitation and evapotranspiration). Climate change is predicted to have significant effects on many ephemeral wetland systems and the organisms...

Corticosterone concentrations have been measured in amphibians by collecting blood or urine samples. However, blood sampling is invasive, and urine can be difficult to collect. A novel method of swabbing the skin of an amphibian has been utilized in numerous species but has not been verified in marine toads (Rhinella marina). This pilot study teste...

Background: Computer-Aided Amphibian Laboratory (CAAL) means that experiments can be teached any time the computer is accessible; no laboratory technical help is required to set up the lab. The learning potential using computer simulation is tremendous. The Computer Assisted Amphibian Lab (CAAL) has the technology, classes and knowledgeable staff t...

The myeloma overexpressed gene ( MYEOV ) has been proposed to be a proto-oncogene due to high RNA transcript levels found in multiple cancers, including myeloma, breast, lung, pancreas and esophageal cancer. The presence of an open reading frame (ORF) in humans and other primates suggests protein-coding potential. Yet, we still lack evidence of a f...

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework increased the demand for biodiversity distribution data. To gather species observation from the public, we introduced a mobile application called 'Biome' in Japan. By employing species identification algorithms and gamification elements, Biome has gathered >5M observations since its launch in 2019. How...

Infectious diseases caused by Aeromonas hydrophila (AH) have reduced the populations of Rana dybowskii). However, little is known about the immune response of R. dybowskii against AH infections. The toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway has been identified as a critical component in innate immunity, responsible for identifying pathogen-associa...

Escaping predation is essential for species survival, but prey must effectively match their response to the perceived threat imposed by a predator. For social animals, one mechanism to reduce risk of predation is living in larger group sizes, which dilutes each individuals risk of capture. When a predator attacks, individuals from a range of taxa (...

Urban parks and greenspaces protect biodiversity in cities and provide important opportunities for city residents to interact with wildlife. We used a large community-science database to examine the predictors of amphibian and reptile species richness across urban areas in the eastern United States. Overall, we found that park area, wetland habitat...

Ikromov EE, Kuchboev AE, Ikromov EF, Sümer N, Yildirimhan HS, Amirov OO, Zhumabekova B. 2023. Morphological and molecular characteristics of the species Cosmocerca commutata and C. ornata (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) in Uzbekistan. Biodiversitas 24: 4609-4616. In studies on the helminth fauna of amphibians conducted by numerous researchers, two specie...

By altering the abundance, diversity, and distribution of species—and their pathogens—globalization may inadvertently select for more virulent pathogens. In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, a hotspot of amphibian biodiversity, the global amphibian trade has facilitated the co-occurrence of previously isolated enzootic and panzootic lineages of the pathoge...

In the present study, we investigated the effect of habitat heterogeneity, elevation gradient, and phylogenetic distance of host species on the abundance and richness of anuran endoparasites, assuming that parasites follow the distribution of their hosts independently of environmental variation. We collected 192 anurans distributed in three altitud...

Aestivation is considered to be one of the “purest” hypometabolic states in nature, as it involves aerobic dormancy that can be induced and sustained without complex factors. Animals that undergo aestivation to protect themselves from environmental stressors such as high temperatures, droughts, and food shortages. However, this shift in body metabo...

In 2020, the Australasian palaeontological association Australasian Palaeontologists (AAP) joined the Australian government-supported Australian National Species List (auNSL) initiative to compile the first Australian Fossil National Species List (auFNSL) for the region. The goal is to assemble comprehensive systematic data on all vertebrate, inver...

We add first distributional records and other biological data for three amphibians and 12 reptiles from the Jiménez area within the Costa Chica region, Municipality of San Marcos, Guerrero, México.

Cropland ecosystem functioning may be affected by human perturbations transmitted from adjacent ecosystems, such as freshwater systems. However, our limited knowledge of the ecological interactions within cropland–freshwater networks hinders projecting the consequences of anthropogenic pressures. We reviewed the information from freshwater and crop...

Cancer is one of the major diseases that seriously threaten human life. Traditional anticancer therapies have achieved remarkable efficacy but have also some unavoidable side effects. Therefore, more and more research focuses on highly effective and less-toxic anticancer substances of natural origin. Amphibian skin is rich in active substances such...

The ability to use environmental geometry when orienting in space reflects an animal’s ability to use a global, allocentric framework. Therefore, understanding when and how animal’s use geometry relative to other types of cues in the environment has interested comparative cognition researchers for decades. Yet, only two amphibians have been tested...

Ambystoma maculatum is a mid-sized species of mole salamander with a range consisting of much of eastern North America (Powell et al 2016. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, Massachusetts. 512 pp.). Herein, we describe the second report of ectoparasitism in A. mac...

Certain species within the order Anura are relatively new in the context of exotic animals as pets, and the precise conditions required for their optimal care and well-being are still not well understood. This knowledge gap highlights the crucial need to develop effective strategies to measjournal oure the welfare of these animals. To address this...

In the present paper, we include range extensions of 21 species of amphibians and reptiles (two salamanders, two anurans, one turtle, six lizards, and ten snakes).

The chytrid fungal pathogens Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) and B. dendrobatidis (Bd) are driving amphibian extinctions and population declines worldwide. As their origins are believed to be in East/Southeast Asia, this region is crucial for understanding their ecology. However, Bsal screening is relatively limited in this region, particu...

Amphibians are one of the most threatened groups of vertebrates globally. For effective conservation, understanding the patterns and processes underlying amphibian diversity is essential. Studies of genetic diversity and structure among conspecific populations and closely related species can provide crucial insights for their conservation; however,...

Combined effects of pollutants and climate change can have long-term negative effects on Earth's biodiversity. We tested how amphibians are affected by exposure to pesticides around metamorphosis in combination with current winter conditions or those projected to become the norm by 2100. We applied two pyrethroid insecticides, cypermethrin or delta...

Among human actions threatening biodiversity, the release of anthropogenic chemical pollutants -which have become ubiquitous in the environment- is a major concern. Chemical pollution can induce oxidative stress and damage by causing the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and affecting the antioxidant system. In species undergoing met...

Brazil has the highest richness of amphibians in the world, with 1,080 species currently recognized, belonging to three Orders: 1,039 Anura (frogs, toads and frogs), 5 Caudata (salamanders) and 36 Gymnophiona (blind snakes and caecilians), and many new species have been described in recent years (ICMBio, 2018).

Squamata exhibit a loss of genes for the gamma/delta T-lymphocyte receptor chains and a significant decrease in the number of V genes at the TRBV locus. Through genome analysis, I have discovered a new locus that contains V, J, C, and TM genes that have a similar structure to the classical TCR chains. This gene is viable, as demonstrated by the pre...

The herpetofauna of Saarland - Insights into current distribution through a combination of official and citizen science data. After five years of activation of the publicly accessible online species database “Faunistic-Floristic Information Portal of Saarland and the Saar-Moselle Region” (FFIpS), all findings of strictly protected amphibians and re...

Alien predators are a major cause of decline and extinction of species worldwide, since native organisms are rarely equipped with specific antipredatory strategies to cope with them. However, phenotypic plasticity and learned predator recognition may help prey populations to survive novel predators. Here we examine geographical variation in the lea...

The alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris has achieved a widespread distribution as a non-native (alien) species in Britain since its initial introduction over a century ago, but the patterns of its release and subsequent dispersal have never yet been collectively analysed. We employed a multi-disciplinary combination of methods, using geographic prof...

The genus Alytes consists of six primitive terrestrial-breeding species (five of them endangered or present in restricted distributions) with unique male parental care. Alytes obstetricans was used as a model for the development of assisted reproductive technologies for gamete collection, artificial fertilization and captive-rearing of embryos. Spe...

In the last century, a plethora of species have shown rapid phenological changes in response to climate change. Among animals, amphibians exhibit some of the greatest responses since their activity strongly depends on temperature and rainfall regimes. These shifts in phenology can have negative consequences for amphibian fitness. Thus, understandin...

Amphibian populations around the world are facing significant declines, underscoring the urgency of monitoring and understanding their life history. The use of capture, mark and recapture techniques provide essential tools for such studies, offering valuable information on the spatial ecology and movement patterns of species. This summary presents...

Simple Summary: The genus Mantidactylus spp. is one of the exceptionally diverse amphibian clades from Madagascar. Currently, 57 species in 6 subgenera are recognized. One subgenus, Ochthomantis, is the focus of the present study. Here, we revise this taxonomic group to recognize the presence of cryptic species through an assessment of morphologica...

Regular and annual monitoring of amphibians and reptiles was initiated in Hungary in 2001. We monitor the Pilis Hills, one of the driest mountain regions in northern Hungary. The area is largely covered by forest and comprises ca. 140 ponds. These ponds are characteristically small in size, many are temporary and water levels can decrease significa...

Exposure to metal nanoparticles is potentially harmful, particularly when occurring during embryogenesis. In this study, we tested the effects of commercial AuNPs and AgNPs, widely used in many fields for their features, on the early development of Xenopus laevis, an anuran amphibian key model species in toxicity testing. Through the Frog Embryo Te...

Rice agriculture provides wetlands and complex habitats supporting biodiversity. Wetlands associated with rice agriculture since the 1960s have increased by 32% and now form nearly 12% of wetlands globally at a time when vast areas of natural wetlands are being lost. In this chapter, we set our sights beyond Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 tha...

Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems on the Earth that play a vital role as potential reservoirs of water, exhibiting coveted bioresources that sustain animal life. Every wetland has its own regional and global importance in terms of ecological and socioeconomic values and plays a unique role in the ecosystem and society. Shankar beel...

Insects serve as ecosystem engineers in grasslands. Their impacts are comparable in scale to those of mammals, but because they are so much smaller, their roles and influences are not always as obvious. The roles that insects play in grasslands are as diverse as Class Insecta itself, including herbivory, pollination, seed dispersal, soil profile mo...

The amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis threatens amphibian species globally as the causative agent of chytridiomycosis, with the introduction of non-native species being one of the pathways that the pathogen can spread to naive populations. We have monitored and screened the common midwife toad Alytes obstetricans in four separ...

Bangladesh, located between latitudes 20°34' to 26°38' north and longitudes 88°01' to 92°41' east, is the most densely populated country in the world with 1,252 people per one square kilometre; this is almost three times as dense as its neighbour, India (Ritchie, 2020), other than the island countries like Singapore, and others. So, Bangladesh is n...

Background Evidence showed that N ⁶ -methyladenosine (m ⁶ A) is strongly associated with male germline development. However, the role of m ⁶ A methylation on circRNAs in amphibians remains unknown. In this study, we conducted m ⁶ A sequencing analysis to explore the m ⁶ A transcriptome-wide profile of circRNAs in testis tissues of Xenopus laevis (...

The Museu Nacional, in Rio de Janeiro, is the oldest scientific institution in Brazil, created by a decree of the Regent Prince and future King D. João VI on 06 June 1818. In particular, the herpetological collection dates from the early 1870’s and were studied by the first Brazilian herpetologists, namely Alípio de Miranda Ribeiro (1874–1934) and...

Larvae randomly transferred to water baths 1.5 h acute 80 µW cm-2 UVB exposure Conclusions: Cold temperatures led to increased DNA damage in amphibian larvae. Cold acclimation compensated for effect of temperature on DNA damage. Chronic UV exposure did not result in 'UV-hardening'. Amphibians in cold environs may be more resilient to UV than realis...

Amphibious robots face challenges in efficiently combining locomotion strategies and coordinating propulsive mechanisms, hindering their locomotion performance similar to amphibian animals. This study presents the design and implementation of an agile amphibious robot inspired by the mudskipper, a highly adaptive amphibian. This innovative robot em...

A Vian eggs are one of the largest sources of nutrients required for the development of embryos (proteins, fat, vitamins, growth factors, minerals, and a great number of defense factors to protect embryos and neonates against specific infectious agents that affect their mother or against the received vaccine. The yolk of chicken eggs contains the i...

Bryophytes are considered the first land plants or amphibians of the plant kingdom, with unique thallus structures with no roots and a cuticle over the thallus surface and peculiar water relations as they are considered Poikilohydric plants. These plants have proven ecological significance as water reservoirs, but economically, their worth has to b...

Roads form a major barrier to wildlife movement and are known to affect natural habitats and biodiversity. The Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), situated in the Nallamala hills in the central Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, covers an area close to 4000 sq km and is India's largest tiger reserve. This protected area is rich in biodiver...

Nematodes of the genus Cosmocerca are commonly found in various amphibians in South Africa and in most cases are identified as C. ornata. However, after detailed morphological studies and molecular approaches, three new species of the genus were recently described from three different frogs in South Africa. In present study, we describe another new...

Across the tree of life, cell size varies by orders of magnitude, and organelles scale to maintain cell function. Depending on their shape, organelles can scale by increasing volume, length, or number. Scaling may also reflect demands placed on organelles by increased cell size. The 8,653 species of amphibians exhibit diverse cell sizes, providing...

The miniaturisation of very high frequency transmitters over the last 20 years has allowed researchers to use radio telemetry to study the movements and behaviors of increasingly smaller animals. However, the sensitive skin of many amphibians has continued to make fitting telemetry packages difficult. Here we describe the application of a waist-har...

Anthropogenic habitat alteration is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide. Here, we present the results of an investigation into the responses of amphibian assemblages to a gradient of habitat alteration in Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape (RSPL) of Bohol, Philippines. We compared the abundance, species richness, diversity, and...

Species with wide-range distributions usually display high genetic variation. This variation can be partly explained by historical lineages that were temporally isolated from each other and are back into secondary reproductive contact, and partly by local adaptations. The smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) is one of the most widely distributed amph...

In vertebrate vision, early retinal circuits divide incoming visual information into functionally opposite elementary signals: On and Off, transient and sustained, chromatic and achromatic. Together these signals can yield an efficient representation of the scene for transmission to the brain via the optic nerve. However, this long-standing interpr...

The African clawed frog Xenopus laevis, native to Sub-Saharan Africa, has been introduced to natural systems around the globe from escapes or releases linked to the pet trade and from biomedical laboratories that use animals as model organisms in research. This largely aquatic species can adapt to a wide range of aquatic habitats (rivers, streams a...

Agriculture intensification and management practises is a significant threat to biodiversity. However, changed habitats such as irrigated rice fields could offer as potential refuges for some anurans species. This study examined diversity and abundance of anurans in transplanted rice crop fields under sprayed and unsprayed conditions. Six anuran sp...

The Herpetology Collection of the Natural History Museum Gustavo Orcés V. at Escuela Politécnica Nacional (MEPN-H) in Quito maintains more than sixteen thousand curated specimens and it comprises Ecuador ́s second largest collection of herps. The Collection contains 193 type specimens: 14 holotypes, 34 paratopotypes and 145 paratypes, which corresp...

Although urbanisation offers a variety of hazards to wildlife, little is known about its impact on tropical anurans. In this study, analysed anurans in highly developed intra-urban housing regions of two districts.Three amphibian species were recorded from residential areas of both Ludhiana and Panchkula which included D. melanostictus, D. stomatic...

Communication during parental care represents an advantage for eliciting offspring behaviour and sibling recognition. In aquatic environments, chemical communication is usually the most effective, playing different roles in amphibian parental behaviour. Attending females of some Neotropical anurans ( Leptodactylus ) lead entire tadpole schools thro...

Objective: To use CT measurements to define the body surface area (BSA) formula in American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) and calculate the species-specific shape constant (K) to suggest chemotherapeutic doses. Animals: 12 American bullfrogs owned by the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Laboratory Animal Re...

One of the major factors driving the currently ongoing biodiversity crisis is the anthropogenic spread of infectious diseases. Diseases can have conspicuous consequences, such as mass mortality events, but may also exert covert but similarly severe effects, such as sex ratio distortion via sex-biased mortality or sex reversal. Chytridiomycosis, cau...

The ability of wildlife to endure the effects of high temperatures is increasingly important for biodiversity conservation under climate change and spreading urbanization. Organisms living in urban heat islands can have elevated heat tolerance via both phenotypic plasticity and microevolution. However, the prevalence and mechanisms of such thermal...

Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Natural Protected Area Las Musas, Guanajuato. By Adrian Leyte-Manrique, Abel Antonio Buelna- Chontal, Gustavo Ernesto Quintero-Díaz, Vicente Mata- Silva, and Carlos Jesús Balderas-Valdivia. Herpetología Mexicana (herpetologiamexicana.org). Gratis (online). viii + 74 p.; ill.; no index. ISBN: 978-607-99676...

Book Review: This is an important milestone in the Sri Lankan natural history field guide literature as it is the first comprehensive field guide in English to the country’s 102 extant species of amphibians. That is a number that is likely to increase due to ongoing research. However, the arrival of this field guide will add a further impetus to th...

Anjudiva archipelago in the Arabian Sea is close to the mainland on the west coast of India. It constitutes eight small island patches seen parallel and close to the central Western Ghats. Islands have rocky, laterite, open grasslands and forests. As there are no previous studies on the faunal diversities of these islands, the present study is unde...