title: Biospectroscopy reveals the effect of varying water quality on tadpole tissues of the common frog (Rana temporaria).
abstract: Amphibians are undergoing large population declines in many regions around the world. As environmental pollution from both agricultural and urban sources has been implicated in such declines, there is a need for a biomonitoring approach to study potential impacts on this vulnerable class of organism. This study assessed the use of infrared (IR) spectroscopy as a tool to detect changes in several tissues (liver, muscle, kidney, heart and skin) of late-stage common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles collected from ponds with differing water quality. Small differences in spectral signatures were revealed between a rural agricultural pond and an urban pond receiving wastewater and landfill run-off; these were limited to the liver and heart, although large differences in body size were apparent, surprisingly with tadpoles from the urban site larger than those from the rural site. Large differences in liver spectra were found between tadpoles from the pesticide and nutrient impacted pond compared to the rural agricultural pond, particularly in regions associated with lipids. Liver mass and hepatosomatic indices were found to be significantly increased in tadpoles from the site impacted by pesticides and trace organic chemicals, suggestive of exposure to environmental contamination. Significant alterations were also found in muscle tissue between tadpoles from these two ponds in regions associated with glycogen, potentially indicative of a stress response. This study highlights the use of IR spectroscopy, a low-cost, rapid and reagent-free technique in the biomonitoring of a class of organisms susceptible to environmental degradation.
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Strong
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK. Electronic address: c.halsall@lancaster.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Crispin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Halsall
authors.affiliation: Povodí Labe, státní podnik, Odbor vodohospodářských Laboratory (OVHL), Víta Nejedlého 951, 500 03 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; Institute of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentská 573, 532 10 Pardubice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferenčík
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Shore
authors.affiliation: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK. Electronic address: f.martin@lancaster.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Francis L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D009132:Muscles / Q000187:drug effects; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity; D061005:Ponds / Q000032:analysis; D011896:Rana temporaria; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides
keywords: Amphibian declines; Environmental pollution; IR spectroscopy; Liver; Tadpoles