Abstract
Acid mine drainage (AMD) involves complex mixtures of metals and hydrogen ions that can be highly toxic to the biota. Assessing the effects of AMD to aquatic stages of amphibians is key, as this group constitutes the vertebrate class with the highest proportion of species considered as threatened. Thus, the present work aimed at assessing the sensitivity of two aquatic life stages of the green frog Pelophylax perezi to an AMD originated from a cupric-pyrite mine. Embryos (Gosner stages 10–11) and tadpoles (Gosner stages 20–21) of P. perezi were exposed, for 96 h, to six AMD dilutions (1.39% to 7.5%). Endpoints involving responses at different levels of biological organization were monitored: mortality, malformations, hatching rates, body length and growth rate, enzymatic activity related with detoxification metabolism (glutathione S-transferase), and histopathologies (anatomical structures of the digestive, respiratory, and excretory systems). Embryos presented high mortality and malformation rates at AMD levels equal or above 5.36%, as well as premature hatching at 1.95% of AMD or higher. A significant reduction in body length and growth rate occurred in embryos and tadpoles exposed to 1.95% or higher levels of AMD, respectively. At the histological level, several abnormalities were observed for AMD-exposed tadpoles in a variety of tissues. One of the most noticeable histological changes occurred in the intestine that exhibited papillary epithelial hyperplasia along with a yellowish content and was more pronounced in tadpoles exposed to higher AMD levels. FEmbryos were more sensitive to lethal levels of AMD than tadpoles, suggesting embryos as a useful model life stage when performing amphibian risk assessment of mine drainage. Furthermore, AMD was highly toxic for P. perezi aquatic life stages since levels as low as 1.95% induced lethal effects. These results emphasize the importance of implementing efficient remediation methodologies for AMD, given its high toxicity.
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This research was funded by National Funds (OE) through Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) and by European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) funds within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020 (POFC), and through Centre of Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020+LA/P/0094/2020) strategic programs and the research projects PTDC/BIA-BIC/3488/2012 (GENEROSI), POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030718 (GOGOFROG).
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Isabel Lopes conceptualized the study and the experimental design, and secured the funding. Sara Peixoto and Bárbara Santos performed the laboratorial experiments and analyzed the data. The manuscript was written by Sara Peixoto, Bárbara Santos, and Isabel Lopes. Graça Lopes and Patrícia Pereira performed the histological practical work and data analyses and contributed to the revision of the different versions of the manuscript. All authors revised and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Peixoto, S., Santos, B., Lopes, G. et al. Differential sensitivity of aquatic life stages of Pelophylax perezi to an acidic metal-contaminated effluent. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 90259–90271 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22037-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22037-5