A Unified Approach to Analysis of Body Condition in Green Toads

Landler, Lukas; Burgstaller, Stephan; Spießberger, Magdalena; Horvath, Andras; Zhelev, Zhivko M.; Mollov, Ivelin A.; Sinsch, Ulrich; Nepita, Johannes; Schwabel, Florian; Kühn, W.; Köbele, Christian; Sedlmeier, Heinz; Amon, Cornelia; Mazgajska, Joanna; Mazgajski, Tomasz D.; Sistani, Amir; Schluckebier, Rieke; Andrä, Eberhard; Ott, Moritz; Gollmann, Günter

doi:10.3390/d15010043

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…We photographed, weighed and measured the length of all individuals before the devices were mounted on the animals (start of tracking period) and again just before the devices were removed (end of tracking period). We used these data to calculate the green toad specific scaled mass index (a measure of body condition) as in [ 47 ]. One outlier data point (most likely a lapsus calami in the field notes) was removed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telemetry and Accelerometer Tracking of Green Toads in an Urban Habitat: Methodological Notes and Preliminary Findings

et al. 2023

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Advancements in tracking technologies provide an increasingly important tool in animal monitoring and conservation that can describe animal spatial behavior in native habitats and uncover migratory routes that otherwise may be difficult or impossible to map. In addition, high-resolution accelerometer sensors provide powerful insights into animal activity patterns and can help to identify specific behaviors from accelerometer profiles alone. Previously, such accelerometers were restricted to larger animals due to size and mass constraints. However, recent advances make it possible to use such devices on smaller animals such as the European green toad (Bufotes viridis), the focus of our current study. We deploy custom made tracking devices, that consist of very-high-frequency transmitters and tri-axial accelerometers, to track toads in their native urban environment in Vienna (Austria). A total of nine toads were tracked, ranging from three to nine tracking days per individual during the post-breeding season period. We demonstrate that our devices could reliably monitor toad movement and activity during the observation period. Hence, we confirmed the predominantly nocturnal activity patterns and recorded low overall movement at this urban site. Accelerometer data revealed that toads exhibited brief but intense activity bursts between 10 pm and midnight, resting periods during the night and intermittent activity during the day. Positional tracking alone would have missed the major activity events as they rarely resulted in large positional displacements. This underscores the importance of and value in integrating multiple tracking sensors for studies of movement ecology. Our approach could be adapted for other amphibians or other animals with mass constraints and may become standard monitoring equipment in the near future.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telemetry and Accelerometer Tracking of Green Toads in an Urban Habitat: Methodological Notes and Preliminary Findings

et al. 2023

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“…After oviposition, we measured the snout-vent length of both parents with a calliper and weighed them on a precision scale. We calculated the scaled mass index (SMI) developed by Peig and Green (2009) to assess parental body condition as SMI accurately reflects amphibian energy stores in anuran species (Băncilă et al, 2010; Landler et al, 2023; MacCracken and Stebbings, 2012; Zhelev and Minchev, 2023). We described how we categorized males and females into the thin and fat groups in the “statistical analyses” section below.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal body condition affects the response of larval spined toads’ faecal microbiome to a widespread contaminant

Tartu,

Pollet,

Clavereau

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Glyphosate’s primary metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is the most detected pollutant in surface waters. Recent studies have raised concerns regarding its toxicity, yet the involved underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. A disruption of the gut microbiome, which plays a crucial role in host health, could be the mediator of most adverse effects. We investigated the impact of AMPA exposure on the gut microbiome of spined toad tadpoles (Bufo spinosus). We hypothesized that AMPA could alter the gut microbiota composition and that these effects could depend on the microbiota source. We exposed tadpoles to minute concentrations of AMPA and analyzed their faecal microbiota using 16S rRNA gene sequencing as a proxy of the gut microbiota. AMPA exposure decreased the gut bacterial biomass and affected bacterial community composition of tadpole’s faeces. Furthermore, we observed interactions between AMPA exposure and maternal body condition on the Bacteroidota and Actinobacteriota phyla abundances. This suggests a maternal effect on early-life microbial colonizers that could influence the response of the gut microbiome to AMPA. These findings highlight the importance of considering the gut microbiome when studying the effects of environmental contaminants. Further research is needed to elucidate the long-term implications of this microbiome alteration for amphibian health.

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Body condition based on scaled mass index in adult Pelophylax ridibundus (Amphibia: Ranidae) inhabiting a polluted area in Southern Bulgaria

Zhelev,

Minchev

2023

Biologia

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A Unified Approach to Analysis of Body Condition in Green Toads

Cited by 4 publications

References 33 publications

Telemetry and Accelerometer Tracking of Green Toads in an Urban Habitat: Methodological Notes and Preliminary Findings

Telemetry and Accelerometer Tracking of Green Toads in an Urban Habitat: Methodological Notes and Preliminary Findings

Maternal body condition affects the response of larval spined toads’ faecal microbiome to a widespread contaminant

Body condition based on scaled mass index in adult Pelophylax ridibundus (Amphibia: Ranidae) inhabiting a polluted area in Southern Bulgaria

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