Interactive effects of maternal and environmental exposure to coal combustion wastes decrease survival of larval southern toads (Bufo terrestris)

Metts, Brian S.; Buhlmann, Kurt A.; Scott, David E.; Tuberville, Tracey D.; Hopkins, William A.

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2012.01.042

Cited by 32 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Compared to woodland populations, roadside populations survive at lower rates in their natal ponds and accrue more developmental malformations when chronically exposed to road salt. These maladaptive responses (including decreased tolerance to chloride) could result from negative transgenerational effects, for example, if parental exposure to the roadside environment compromises offspring viability via contaminant transfer and/or epigenetic effects (Head, Dolinoy, & Basu, 2012; Metts, Buhlmann, Scott, Tuberville, & Hopkins, 2012). Alternatively, maladaptive responses could occur if roadside selection pressures are strong enough to reduce population size and result in inbreeding depression (Falk, Parent, Agashe, & Bolnick, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating evolutionary insights to improve ecotoxicology for freshwater species

Brady

Richardson

Kunz

2017

Evolutionary Applications

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Ecotoxicological studies have provided extensive insights into the lethal and sublethal effects of environmental contaminants. These insights are critical for environmental regulatory frameworks, which rely on knowledge of toxicity for developing policies to manage contaminants. While varied approaches have been applied to ecotoxicological questions, perspectives related to the evolutionary history of focal species or populations have received little consideration. Here, we evaluate chloride toxicity from the perspectives of both macroevolution and contemporary evolution. First, by mapping chloride toxicity values derived from the literature onto a phylogeny of macroinvertebrates, fish, and amphibians, we tested whether macroevolutionary relationships across species and taxa are predictive of chloride tolerance. Next, we conducted chloride exposure tests for two amphibian species to assess whether potential contemporary evolutionary change associated with environmental chloride contamination influences chloride tolerance across local populations. We show that explicitly evaluating both macroevolution and contemporary evolution can provide important and even qualitatively different insights from those obtained via traditional ecotoxicological studies. While macroevolutionary perspectives can help forecast toxicological end points for species with untested sensitivities, contemporary evolutionary perspectives demonstrate the need to consider the environmental context of exposed populations when measuring toxicity. Accounting for divergence among populations of interest can provide more accurate and relevant information related to the sensitivity of populations that may be evolving in response to selection from contaminant exposure. Our data show that approaches accounting for and specifically examining variation among natural populations should become standard practice in ecotoxicology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating evolutionary insights to improve ecotoxicology for freshwater species

Brady

Richardson

Kunz

2017

Evolutionary Applications

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“…In amphibians, maternal exposure to metals reduces embryonic and larval offspring viability and health (Hopkins et al 2006). Moreover, maternal metal exposure in addition to novel embryonic/larval metal exposure can further reduce survivorship to metamorphosis (Metts et al 2012). Yet transgenerational examination of long-lived environmental contaminants interacting with other stressors present in biological systems is rare (Pomati and Nizzetto 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Effects of metal and predator stressors in larval southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris)

2016

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Natural and anthropogenic stressors typically do not occur in isolation; therefore, understanding ecological risk of contaminant exposure should account for potential interactions of multiple stressors. Realistically, common contaminants can also occur chronically in the environment. Because parental exposure to stressors may cause transgenerational effects on offspring, affecting their ability to cope with the same or novel environmental stressors, the exposure histories of generations preceding that being tested should be considered. To examine multiple stressor and parental exposure effects we employed a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design in outdoor 1000-L mesocosms (n = 24). Larval southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris), bred from parents collected from reference and metal-contaminated sites, were exposed to two levels of both an anthropogenic (copper-0, 30 µg/L Cu) and natural (predator cue - present/absent) stressor and reared to metamorphosis. Toads from the metal-contaminated parental source population were smaller at metamorphosis and had delayed development; i.e., a prolonged larval period. Similarly, larval Cu exposure also reduced size at metamorphosis and prolonged the larval period. We, additionally, observed a significant interaction between larval Cu and predator-cue exposure on larval period, wherein delayed emergence was only present in the 30-µg/L Cu treatments in the absence of predator cues. The presence of parental effects as well as an interaction between aquatic stressors on commonly measured endpoints highlight the importance of conducting multistressor studies across generations to obtain data that are more relevant to field conditions in order to determine population-level effects of contaminant exposure.

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“…The weathered fly ash that was used in the experiments was collected from the temporary settling basin at the D-area power generation facility on the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The elemental composition of fly ash from this site has been well characterized and subjected to extensive studies, especially with regard to its effects on amphibians (22,24,35). Prior to use in the experiments, we collected samples of the bacterial communities in fly ash by passing swabs through the fly ash for approximately 5 s/swab (n ϭ 3 in 2013 and 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some amphibians use fly ash ponds for breeding (22), and there is a large amount of literature documenting the impacts of fly ash on amphibian development, physiology, and survival (e.g., references 22,23,24). In the last decade, research on the amphibian microbiome has also increased, mainly in relation to the potential protective role of the skin microbiome in defense against the lethal skin pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (25)(26)(27).…”

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confidence: 99%

Short-Term Exposure to Coal Combustion Waste Has Little Impact on the Skin Microbiome of Adult Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer)

Hughey

Walke

Becker

et al. 2016

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Disruptions to the microbiome can impact host health as can exposure to environmental contaminants. However, few studies have addressed how environmental contaminants impact the microbiome. We explored this question for frogs that breed in wetlands contaminated with fly ash, a by-product of coal combustion that is enriched in trace elements. We found differences in the bacterial communities among a fly ash-contaminated site and several reference wetlands. We then experimentally assessed the impacts of fly ash on the skin microbiome of adult spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer). Frogs were exposed to fly ash in the laboratory for 12 h, the duration of a typical breeding event, and the skin microbiome was assessed after 5 days (experiment 1) or after 5 and 15 days (experiment 2). We examined bacterial community structure using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metabolite profiles using high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). We found little impact as the result of acute exposure to fly ash on the bacterial communities or metabolite profiles in either experiment, suggesting that the bacterial symbiont communities of adults may be relatively resistant to brief contaminant exposure. However, housing frogs in the laboratory altered bacterial community structure in the two experiments, which supports prior research suggesting that environmental source pools are important for maintaining the amphibian skin microbiome. Therefore, for contaminants like fly ash that may alter the potential source pool of symbionts, we think it may be important to explore how contaminants affect the initial assembly of the amphibian skin microbiome in larval amphibians that develop within contaminated sites. IMPORTANCEAnimals are hosts to many symbiotic microorganisms, collectively called the microbiome, that play critical roles in host health. Therefore, environmental contaminants that alter the microbiome may impact hosts. Some of the most widespread contaminants, produced worldwide, are derived from the mining, storage, and combustion of coal for energy. Fly ash, for example, is a by-product of coal combustion. It contains compounds such as arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and strontium and is a recognized source of ground and surface water contamination. Here, we experimentally investigated the impacts of short-term fly ash exposure on the skin microbiome of spring peepers, one of many species of amphibian that sometimes breed in open fly ash disposal ponds. This research provides a look into the potential impacts of fly ash on an animal's microbiome and suggests important future directions for research on the effects of environmental contaminants on the microbiome. Vertebrates host a wide array of symbiotic microorganisms, mainly in the gut, but there are unique microbial communities spread throughout the body from the nasal cavity to the lungs to the skin (1). While we have long understood that the microbiota residing in the gut are diverse and are important in helping to digest food, only recently have...

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Interactive effects of maternal and environmental exposure to coal combustion wastes decrease survival of larval southern toads (Bufo terrestris)

Cited by 32 publications

References 42 publications

Incorporating evolutionary insights to improve ecotoxicology for freshwater species

Incorporating evolutionary insights to improve ecotoxicology for freshwater species

Effects of metal and predator stressors in larval southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris)

Short-Term Exposure to Coal Combustion Waste Has Little Impact on the Skin Microbiome of Adult Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer)

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