Antipredator Skin Secretions of the Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) in Its Northern Range

Hopkins, Gareth R.; Migabo, S.

doi:10.1670/09-216.1

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…This was then followed by a Linear Hotspot Analysis using a radius of 200 m, 1000 simulations, 500 road divisions, and a CL of 95%. The radius lengths selected for the Ripley's K test and the Linear Hotspot Analysis were chosen based on the length of the surveyed road (15 km), the fact that turtles can move hundreds or thousands of metres (Obbard and Brooks 1980;Grgurovic and Sievert 2005), and that typical road mitigation fencing for turtles will be in the hundreds of metres (e.g., Aresco 2005; Baxter-Gilbert et al 2015; Markle et al 2017;Boyle et al 2021). Shorter radius lengths typically produce more and shorter hotspots than longer lengths (Spanowicz et al 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lepitzki¹

2022

Can Field Nat

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Governor General of CanadaThe objectives of this Club shall be to promote the appreciation, preservation, and conservation of Canada's natural heritage; to encourage investigation and publish the results of research in all fields of natural history and to diffuse information on these fields as widely as possible; to support and cooperate with organizations engaged in preserving, maintaining, or restoring environments of high quality for living things.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lepitzki¹

2022

Can Field Nat

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“…However, the anatomical organization of the cutaneous glands and the nature of their chemical substances vary across salamander species and appear to have different functions (Hecker et al, 2003;Fontana et al, 2006;Heiss et al, 2009). The cutaneous mucus mainly plays a role in the control of body surface pH and the maintenance of skin moisture, lubricating the horny layer (Bueno et al, 1981;Hopkins and Migabo, 2010). However, many species also release toxic, noxious, or adhesive cutaneous secretions for defence (Nowak and Brodie, 1978;Brodie et al, 1979;Arnold, 1982;Brodie, 1983;Brodie and Smatresk, 1990;Duellman and Trueb, 1994;Evans and Brodie, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspective for a New Bioinspired Permanent Adhesive for dry Conditions - Insights in the Glue Producing Japanese art of Defence System of the Oita Salamander Hynobius dunni

et al. 2021

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Novel medical bioadhesives are proposed to fulfil numerous ideals as being biocompatible, non-toxic, include tissue healing and regeneration characteristics, have high mechanical properties onto different surfaces and other important key features. Mussel-inspired adhesives have provided the basis for many new applications under wet conditions. In contrast, the defence secretion system in amphibians may provide potential for novel fast-curing secretion able to adhere to surfaces under dry conditions. With the microanatomical and histochemical characterization of the endemic Japanese Oita salamander Hynobius dunni details on its anatomical organization, the nature of the chemical composition of both glue-producing glands and its divergence to the other well-characterized species Plethodon shermani are discussed. The study shows that the cutaneous glands of both glue-producing salamanders (H. dunni and P. shermani) exhibit certain morphological and histochemical similarities. Nevertheless, clear differences exist between the two species, especially with regard to the sugar composition of the mucous glands and the pH level of the granular glands. Moreover, the adhesive secretions of H. dunni show a clear reactivity to Arnow staining (indicating the presence of L-DOPA), which is lacking in P. shermani. This is the first indication of the presence of L-DOPA in the adhesive secretions of a terrestrial vertebrate, which has thus far only been found for marine invertebrates, such as mussels and polychaetes.

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“…Modern research has confirmed that many amphibian species produce or sequester defensive chemicals or toxins (Bokony et al 2019), which include biogenic amines, bufodienolides, peptides/proteins, and alkaloids (Daly et al 1987(Daly et al , 2005Daly 1995;Clarke 1997). Some of these toxins induce adverse effects that may repel, harm or even kill potential predators (Brodie 1968;Brodie et al 1991;Gray et al 2010;Hopkins & Migabo 2010;Williams et al 2010;Murray et al 2016), and therefore protect amphibians against predation. Others are known to inhibit the growth of micro-organisms (Habermehl & Preusser 1969;Preusser et al 1975;Macfoy et al 2005;Woodhams et al 2007;Mina et al 2015;Calhoun et al 2017;Hovey et al 2018;Johnson et al 2018) and may thus protect against parasitic infections.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxin variation among salamander populations: discussing potential causes and future directions

et al. 2020

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Amphibians produce defensive chemicals which provide protection against both predators and infections. Within species, populations can differ considerably in the composition and amount of these chemical defenses. Studying intraspecific variation in toxins and linking it to environmental variables may help us to identify the selective drivers of toxin evolution, such as predation pressure and infection risk. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in the unique toxins produced by salamanders from the genus Salamandra: the samandarines. Despite this attention, intraspecific variation has largely been ignored within Salamandra-species. The aim of this study was to investigate whether geographic variation in profiles of samandarines exists, by sampling 4 populations of Salamandra atra over its range in the Dinaric Alps. In addition, we preliminary explored whether potential variation could be explained by predation (counting the number of snake species) and infection risk (cultivation and genomic analyses of collected soil samples). Salamanders from the 4 populations differed in toxin composition and in the size of their poison glands, although not in overall toxin quantity. Nor predation nor infection risk could explain this variation, as populations barely differed in these variables. Sampling over a much broader geographic range, using better estimators for predation and infection risk, will contribute to an improved understanding of how environment may shape variation in chemical defenses. Nevertheless, as the 4 populations of S. atra did differ in their toxin profiles, we propose that this species provides an interesting opportunity for further ecological and evolutionary studies on amphibian toxins.

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Antipredator Skin Secretions of the Long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) in Its Northern Range

Cited by 11 publications

References 32 publications

Full Issue PDF

Full Issue PDF

Perspective for a New Bioinspired Permanent Adhesive for dry Conditions - Insights in the Glue Producing Japanese art of Defence System of the Oita Salamander Hynobius dunni

Toxin variation among salamander populations: discussing potential causes and future directions

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