Effects of Freshwater Salinization and Biotic Stressors on Amphibian Morphology

Lewis, Jacquelyn L.; Borrelli, Jonathan J.; Jones, Devin K.; Relyea, Rick A.

doi:10.1643/h2020070

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 77 publications

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“…Importantly, such osmoregulatory constraints may affect coastal individuals throughout their life. During larval development, tadpoles exposed to salinity express a stunted growth (Gomez-Mestre et al, 2004;Hopkins et al, 2013Hopkins et al, , 2014Lukens & Wilcoxen, 2020), which can carry-over after metamorphosis (Lewis et al, 2021). During juvenile and adult (terrestrial) stages, exposure to salted substrates may also influence energetic allocation between osmoregulation and growth (Herbert et al, 2015).…”

Section: Smaller Body Size In Coastal Toadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The costs of living on the coast: Reduction in body size and size‐specific reproductive output in coastal populations of a widespread amphibian

Lorrain‐Soligon,

Périsse,

Robin

et al. 2023

Functional Ecology

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Body size is a critical component of organismal biology. Body size is known to be influenced by a plethora of environmental conditions, among which exposure to large scale variations of salinity has been comparatively overlooked. Yet, exposure to salinity is known to affect energetic allocation toward growth and reproduction. In this study, we investigated the morphological differences between inland and coastal individuals of spined toads (Bufo spinosus) in Western France. We measured adult morphology both outside and during the reproductive season on 190 individuals, and assessed reproduction in pairs originating from inland (N = 20) and coastal (N = 30) environments. Overall, we found that adult coastal toads were smaller and lighter than inland individuals. Reproductive correlates of these differences included lower fecundity and smaller egg size (but higher egg density) in coastal females. Interestingly, these differences were not allometric correlates of body size, as coastal females invested proportionally less in all components of reproduction (fecundity, egg size and egg protection). These results suggest altered resource allocation to growth and reproduction in coastal amphibians, which may be related to the marked spatial gradient of salinity (measured in reproductive ponds) and the associated costs of osmoregulation (higher osmolality in coastal individuals), for which local adaptation and higher tolerance to salinity remains to be tested. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Section: Smaller Body Size In Coastal Toadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The costs of living on the coast: Reduction in body size and size‐specific reproductive output in coastal populations of a widespread amphibian

Lorrain‐Soligon,

Périsse,

Robin

et al. 2023

Functional Ecology

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Salinization and low-dose levels of pesticides alter brain shape of larval amphibians

Woodley,

Agostini,

Jones

et al. 2024

Environmental Pollution

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Distance to coastline modulates morphology and population structure in a coastal amphibian

Lorrain-Soligon

Robin

Lelong³

et al. 2022

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Salinization due to sea-level rise and marine submersions is expected to strongly impact coastal ecosystems. Exposure to salinity can negatively impact biodiversity especially in coastal wetlands. To understand comprehensively the consequences of environmental salinization on coastal biodiversity, it is essential to document how coastal species currently respond to exposure to salinity. In this study, we investigated how variations of environmental salinity relative to the distance to the ocean influence population structure (age ratio and sex ratio), and individual hydro-mineral balance (osmolality) and morphology (size, mass, condition) in the western spadefoot toad (Pelobates cultripes) in two populations from the French Atlantic coast. We show that distance to coastline strongly influences exposure to salt on a small spatial scale. Some variables (e.g., abundances, osmolality, morphology) responded similarly in both sites and may be related to salt deposition due to landward sea-spray. Interestingly, other variables (sex ratio and age ratio) displayed site-specific responses and appeared to be linked to the salinity of breeding sites. Distance to the shoreline appears to be a critical population structuring factor in this coastal salt-tolerant species. Future studies should investigate how distance to shoreline—and thus environmental salinity—can ultimately affect individual performances and fitness.

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Effects of Freshwater Salinization and Biotic Stressors on Amphibian Morphology

Cited by 3 publications

References 77 publications

The costs of living on the coast: Reduction in body size and size‐specific reproductive output in coastal populations of a widespread amphibian

The costs of living on the coast: Reduction in body size and size‐specific reproductive output in coastal populations of a widespread amphibian

Salinization and low-dose levels of pesticides alter brain shape of larval amphibians

Distance to coastline modulates morphology and population structure in a coastal amphibian

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