From Dogs to Frogs: How Pets, Laboratory Animals, and Wildlife Aided in Elucidating Harmful Effects Arising from a Hazardous Dumpsite

Abstract

The medical literature contains many examples of cases in which serendipitous observations have led to important findings. In the example described in this article, laboratory and field observations conducted at the Mohawk Nation Community of Akwesasne led to the important and unexpected finding that frogs once plentiful in the area were no longer observed. Laboratory tests comparing river sediments from Akwesasne to pristine sediment from Ithaca, NewYork, indicated multiple adverse health effects on developing frogs. Some of the behavioral changes observed in the laboratory were similar to those described by residents of Akwesasne before the onset of amphibian decline. The magnitude of changes paralleled frog body burden of polychlorinated biphenyls acquired from the Akwesasne sediment. The impact of these findings on the identification of a hazardous waste site and global amphibian decline are discussed.

Survivorship in Wild Frogs Infected with Chytridiomycosis

“…What is a sub-lethal infection in a laboratory setting could potentially be lethal under natural circumstances, or could reduce a wild animal's fitness to the point where it can be easily preyed upon, or be unable to acquire food resources (Quimby et al, 2005). Furthermore, it is unclear how many B. dendrobatidis zoospores wild animals are generally exposed to upon infection, and thus how realistic laboratory trials are.…”

Assessing the physiological sensitivity of amphibians to extreme environmental change using the stress endocrine responses

“…In contrast, contaminants such as glufosinate ammonium, an herbicide, may increase ChE activity in ways that intensify swimming speed (Peltzer et al 2013). Compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls may also reduce tadpole survival through diverse effects on behavior, reducing swimming speed, inducing movement over shorter distances and nonlinear swimming trajectories, or stimulating generalized lethargy in tadpoles (Quimby et al 2005). Thus, a number of toxic products may affect ecological performance through impacts on behavior which are better documented for larval than for adult phases.…”

Lead levels in long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) hair from Singapore

“…Much of this discussion is concerned with using marine organisms as sentinels for toxicants in fish consumed by humans (Irwin 2005), or using urban wildlife and domesticated animals as indicators of toxicants in local communities (Ganies et al 2002;Quimby et al 2005). But what is the difference between a sentinel and an indicator?…”