Journal
ORYX
Volume 51, Issue 1, Pages 182-188Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0030605315000812
Keywords
Amphibian; body condition; body size; Bombina variegata; corticosterone; vehicle traffic; yellow-bellied toad
Categories
Funding
- Societe des Carrieres du Bourget du Lac
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Amphibians are considered to be the most threatened group of vertebrates. Among the multiple factors involved in their decline, habitat loss and alteration as a result of human activities is a major threat. At the individual level the effects of habitat alteration are potentially multiple, including a range of morphological and physiological responses. Analysing and understanding these responses is therefore a critical challenge for amphibian conservation. We examined the influence of intensive vehicle traffic (motorbikes and trucks on unpaved pathways) on the body size and condition and on the production of glucocorticoids (i.e. corticosterone) in the yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that intensive vehicle traffic has a negative influence on body size and body condition, and postulated that it also increases corticosterone production. Using morphometric data and saliva samples collected from four populations in France, we found that intensive vehicle traffic is associated with a decrease in body size and body condition in both males and females. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that corticosterone production was lower in both sexes in populations experiencing intensive vehicle traffic. We suggest that measures should be applied to reduce vehicle traffic intensity on unpaved pathways during toad breeding activity. This is critical for B. variegata, for which man-made ruts and residual puddles could mitigate the loss of natural habitats.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available