Immunological and reproductive effects of anthropized environments in Leptodactylus fuscus (Anura)

Abstract

Environmental changes caused by anthropogenic activities are accompanied by a multitude of chemical compounds and stressors, which exert significant pressure on native anuran communities. Many of these substances are endocrine disruptors, which interfere with the organism’s physiology, particularly the immune and reproductive systems. We used 49 male Leptodactylus fuscus collected in agricultural areas (soybean and sugarcane) and urban environments in the states of Goiás and São Paulo (Brazil) and compared them with each other and with minimally affected specimens from an environmental conservation unit (Emas National Park – Goiás). In the anthropized areas, there was an increase in the number of lymphocytes and neutrophils. The spleen of specimens collected in the different anthropized environments showed a decrease in white pulp, an increase in red pulp, an increase in mast cells, and a change in melanin pigmentation. In animals exposed to greater environmental disturbance, there was a tendency for an increase in the area occupied by spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids, and spermatozoa. These results indicate that landscape anthropization is associated with multi-systemic physiological modifications, highlighting the role of tissue biomarkers in monitoring wild populations of L. fuscus under environmental stress.

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