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Does wetland watershed land use influence amphibian larval development? A relevant effect of agriculture on biota

  • Ecology
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Abstract

Agriculture practices have been widely proposed as the major cause of amphibian population decline. However, the majority of these results have been based on laboratory experiments. The present study was conducted to test the repercussion of wetland sediment provenance on amphibian larval development. Bufo bufo larvae were used in two different treatments in an outdoor experiment, the first one using sediment from one wetland surrounded by intensive agricultural practices, and the second using sediment with no record of agrochemical uses. A negative effect was observed in the agricultural treatment, from subcellular to individual level. The results showed that the sediment from agricultural practices watershed generates a reduction in survival. Furthermore, individuals that developed under this treatment showed a lower total length and a delay in the time necessary to complete metamorphosis; these features are connected with recruitment success. In the same way, biochemical analysis showed high values of lipid peroxidation in metamorphs developing in sediments from an agricultural area. Finally, the results obtained highlight the importance of considering the sediments, not only the water, as origin treatment, allowing us to understand the consequences on amphibian populations that inhabit areas affected by intensive agriculture.

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Acknowledgement

Our thanks go to the Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Junta de Andalucía) for permission to use the amphibian surveys. E.G.-M. has a research grant from the FCT postdoctoral programme (SFRH/ BPD/78206/2010). We also like to express our sincere thanks to the reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions, which have been very helpful in improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Campus de las Lagunillas, s/n., E-23071, Jaén, Spain

    Enrique García-Muñoz, Francisco Guerrero & Gema Parra

  2. Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Ciencias de la Tierra, Campus de las Lagunillas, s/n., E-23071, Jaén, Spain

    Francisco Guerrero & Gema Parra

  3. Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Campus de las Lagunillas, s/n., 23071, Jaén, Spain

    Garbiñe Arechaga

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  1. Enrique García-Muñoz
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  2. Francisco Guerrero
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  3. Garbiñe Arechaga
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  4. Gema Parra
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Correspondence to Gema Parra.

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Supported by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain) Project (No. CGL2007-61482; co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund)

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García-Muñoz, E., Guerrero, F., Arechaga, G. et al. Does wetland watershed land use influence amphibian larval development? A relevant effect of agriculture on biota. J. Ocean. Limnol. 37, 160–168 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-7378-8

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