Anuran tadpoles inhabiting a fluoride-rich stream: diets and morphological indicators

POLLO, FAVIO E.; CIBILS-MARTINA, LUCIANA; OTERO, MANUEL A.; BARAQUET, MARIANA; GRENAT, PABLO R.; SALAS, NANCY E.; MARTINO, ADOLFO L.

HELIYON

Elsevier BV

Año: 2019 vol. 5

2405-8440

Wein situ assessed the influence of natural fluoride concentrations in loticfreshwater ecosystems on diet and morphology of Boana cordobae tadpoles. Twostreams were sampled in Argentina: Los Vallecitos stream (LF-LV) and Los CerrosNegros stream (HF-CN) with low and high fluoride levels, respectively. Wecaptured tadpoles of B. cordobae in each stream using nets. Body weight (BW),total length (TL) and body condition (BC) of tadpoles was registered. Fooditems were identified to genus level and assigned to functional traits.Tadpoles showed significant differences in TL between streams, with smallerindividuals in HF-CN, while did not show differences in BW and BC. The diet of tadpolesconsisted mostly of microalgae. In tadpoles from HF-CN stream the proportion ofcyanobacteria was lower than tadpoles from LF-LV. In relation to functionaltraits, small algae, high profile and colonial algae were more abundant inHF-CN. Algae attached by pads showed a higher proportion in HF-CN diets andstalked algae were more abundant in LF-LV. The differences in TL and diet oftadpoles can be attributed to differences in algal community composition, withgenera that are affected by high concentrations of natural fluoride; forexample cyanobacteria. The low algal richness registered in HF-CN stream doesnot affect the physiological state of the tadpoles, possibly because of a higheralgal density in HF-CN diets. However, in further studies it would be importantto evaluate the population status of B. cordobae from the HF-CN, because asmall body length of tadpoles could have consequences at the population level.