Idiosyncratic liver pigment alterations of five frog species in response to contrasting land use patterns in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

Background Changes in land use trigger environmental changes that can lead to decreased biodiversity and species loss. The liver is an essential detoxification organ that reflects systemic physiological responses to environmental changes. Here, we tested whether contrasting land use patterns influence the amount of substances from the hepatic cellular catabolism and melanomacrophages (MMs) of five anuran species in the Brazilian Cerrado. Methods We collected the same five species of pond-dwelling frogs in one protected area and in an area with intense agricultural activity. We used routine histological and histochemical techniques to quantify the area occupied by lipofuscin, melanin, and hemosiderin in the liver of two frogs Leptodactylus fuscus, Physalaemus cuvieri, and three tree-frogs Dendropsophus minutus, Scinax fuscomarginatus, and Boana albopunctata. We classified land use types in a buffer around each pond based on satellite images. We then used a double-constrained Correspondence Analysis, a recently developed ecological method to relate functional traits to environmental variables, to test the effect of each land use type on the area of each liver pigment. Results There was an increase in the amount of melanin in environments with high proportion of agriculture, as well as variation in the amount of lipofuscin and hemosiderin. Liver pigments of P. cuvieri and B. albopunctata varied more strongly in response to land use types, suggesting they could be good indicator species. Therefore, the area of MMs in the liver and the metabolic products in their cytoplasm can be used as biomarkers of environmental changes in regions with intense agricultural activities. Our results add a new perspective to the influence of land use patterns on environmental health by highlighting the effect of environmental changes on internal morphological aspects of animals.

Multiple Level Effects of Imazethapyr on Leptodactylus latinasus (Anura) Adult Frogs

“…Moreover, the results obtained in this work show that at 96 h there is a signi cant decrease in the area of the pigments melanin and hemosiderin in the hepatic MMC. According to previous studies, the decrease in these pigments is related with a reduction in phagocytic and protective activity against oxidizing agents of MMC in the liver (Fenoglio et al, 2005;Pérez-Iglesias et al, 2016;Fanali et al, 2018;Franco-Belussi et al, 2020). Focusing on the response of the catabolic pigment hemosiderin in S1, this work again reports similar results to those previously described for us in this species after herbicide exposure (Pérez-Iglesias et al, 2016).…”

Effects of land‐use changes on the conservation of re‐introduced toads, Nectophrynoides asperginis

“…For instance, a study on endemic bird species distribution in Mexico showed that land‐use modifications converted natural habitats into other land‐use classes such as agricultural, industrial and urban, thereby threatening endemic species persistence (Almazán‐Núñez et al, 2018). Similarly, Franco‐Belussi et al (2020) observed that more natural habitats are being replaced by agricultural areas and settlements (urbanisation), leading to decreased amphibian populations and genomic diversity. In addition, a study on amphibians in Asia showed that forest loss degradation and fragmentation as a result of high deforestation rates have impacted the presence, abundance, diversity and variability of amphibians (Karraker et al, 2018).…”

“…Changes in land‐use and land‐cover (LULCC) contribute to the extinction of endemic, rare and endangered biodiversity species such as KST. LULCC is aided by human activities such as infrastructure development and agriculture, which threaten species through habitat loss, fragmentation and destruction (Doe et al, 2022; Franco‐Belussi et al, 2020; Mmbaga et al, 2017; Ngongolo et al, 2020; Ngongolo & Mtoka, 2013; Sigala et al, 2022). It has also been reported that human‐induced LULCC triggers ecological changes that lead to a decrease in biodiversity and increased species loss (Franco‐Belussi et al, 2020; Rija et al, 2011).…”

“…Many anthropogenic factors, such as cultivation, lumbering and infrastructure construction, may endanger biodiversity resources such as the Kihansi spray toad in Tanzania (Franco‐Belussi et al, 2020; Niesenbaum, 2019). Other studies have shown that LULCC promotes changes in biotic communities beyond species composition (Franco‐Belussi et al, 2020; Rija et al, 2011). The KST was estimated to have 20,000 individuals at the time of its discovery (prior to dam construction; Nahonyo, 2019).…”

Land Use Land Cover Changes and its Implication on the conservation of Re-introduced Kihansi Spay Toads (Nectophrynoides asperginis) in Kihansi Gorge-Tanzania

“…Land use land cover changes (LULCC) contribute to the extreme loss and extinction of endemic, rare and endangered biodiversity species such as the Kihansi spray toads (KST). Human activities such as infrastructure development and agriculture support LULCC and threaten species through habitat loss, fragmentation, and destruction (Mmbaga et al, 2017;Franco-Belussi, et al, 2020). It has also been reported that human induced LULCC triggers ecological changes that lead to a decrease in biodiversity and increased species loss (Franco-Belussi, et al, 2020;Rija et al, 2011).…”