scholarly journals Endoparasitic helminths of water frog complex in Poland: do differences exist between the parental species Pelophylax ridibundus and Pelophylax lessonae, and their natural hybrid Pelophylax esculentus?

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Popiołek ◽  
B. Rozenblut-Kościsty ◽  
M. Kot ◽  
W. Nosal ◽  
M. Ogielska
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Parental Species ◽  
Helminth Species ◽  
Natural Hybrid ◽  
Intensity Of Infection ◽  
Water Frog ◽  
Pelophylax Ridibundus ◽  
Water Frogs ◽  
Pelophylax Esculentus ◽  
Cosmocerca Ornata

AbstractParasitic fauna of water frogs was mainly studied in the second half of the 20th century. However, these studies were done without differentiation into species and hybrids and pooled the 3 taxa as “water frogs” or “green frogs”. The aim of this study was to make an inventory of helminth species as well as their prevalence and intensity of infection in the two parental species (Pelophylax ridibundus and P. lessonae) and the hybrid (P. esculentus) of water frogs from 3 big populations composed of hundreds or thousands of individuals inhabited natural and seminatural landscapes in Poland. Eight helminth species were found: Polystoma integerrimum, Diplodiscus subclavatus, Opisthoglyphe ranae, Gorgodera cygnoides, Haematoloechus variegatus, Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Cosmocerca ornata and Acanthocephalus ranae. The results were compared with data from other, polish and European studies. Additionally we compared the level of infection among water frog taxa.

Age structure, size and growth rate of water frogs from central European natural Pelophylax ridibundus-Pelophylax esculentus mixed populations estimated by skeletochronology

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Socha ◽  
Maria Ogielska
Keyword(s):  
Parental Species ◽  
Rana Esculenta ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Central European ◽  
Water Frog ◽  
Water Frogs ◽  
Pelophylax Esculentus ◽  
Mixed Populations ◽  
The Difference ◽  
European Water Frog

AbstractCentral European water frog Pelophylax esculentus (formerly known as Rana esculenta) is a natural hybrid between P. lessonae and P. ridibundus. The hybrids reproduce by hybridogenesis and usually share populations with one of the parental species. Natural ridibundus-esculentus (R-E) mixed populations are rare. The population described herein is composed of 80% P. ridibundus and 20% P. esculentus represented by both sexes. We analyzed 159 adults and 228 juveniles. Age of adults collected from breeding sites ranged from 2 to 6 years in males and from 3 to 7 years in females of both taxa. The percentage of individuals older than 5 years was low. Average age of P. ridibundus was higher than that of P. esculentus. In P. ridibundus the average age of females was higher than that of males. In P. esculentus the difference between ages of females and males was not significant. Measurements of yearly radial growth of long bones revealed that the frogs grew intensively before reaching sexual maturity (3 years for females and 2 years for males). In the group of juveniles before I hibernation, P. esculentus were significantly bigger than P. ridibundus, however, there was no difference in body size between both taxa after I hibernation i.e., before the start of a new growth season. Mean LAG-1 diameters were significantly greater in adults P. ridibundus than in juveniles after I hibernation, but not in P. esculentus.

Body size variation in hybrids among populations of European water frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) with different breeding systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 361-371
Author(s):  
Adam Hermaniuk ◽  
Magdalena Czajkowska ◽  
Anetta Borkowska ◽  
Jan R.E. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Parental Species ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
European Water ◽  
Water Frogs ◽  
Population Type ◽  
Pelophylax Esculentus ◽  
European Water Frogs

Abstract In some populations, hybrids reproduce with a parental species by eliminating the genome of this species from their own germline and produce gametes that only contain the genome of the other parental species (sexual host). This mode of reproduction, known as hybridogenesis, leads to a conflict of interest between the two parties because the sexual host should avoid mating with the hybrid to prevent a reduction in reproductive success, whereas the hybrid depends on such matings for survival. We investigated European water frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex), including hybrids (P. esculentus, genotype LR) and two sexual host species (P. lessonae, LL and P. ridibundus, RR). We hypothesized that to maximize fitness, hybrid males should be morphologically more similar to the sexual host that is preferred by females for successful reproduction. To test this hypothesis, we compared hybrid males in two different population types, L-E (hybrids coexist with LL) and L-E-R (hybrids coexist with both LL and RR). The latter was described in terms of genome composition, sex ratio, and mate choice preferences; the sex ratio of hybrids was significantly male-biased. We found that LR males from the L-E-R populations were significantly larger than those from the L-E, which makes them more similar to P. ridibundus, the largest species within the P. esculentus complex. We suggest that a larger body size of hybrid males may provide a reproductive advantage in the L-E-R population type, where the most common type of pair caught in the breeding season was LR males × RR females.

scholarly journals Stability of spermatogenesis and displays of natural selection at the cellular and individual level in immature representatives of the Pelophylax esculentus complex

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-202
Author(s):  
O. Biriuk ◽  
O. Usova ◽  
O. Meleshko ◽  
D. Shabanov
Keyword(s):  
Parental Species ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Normal Karyotype ◽  
Early Death ◽  
Karyological Analysis ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Water Frogs ◽  
Pelophylax Esculentus

Pelophylax esculentus is an interspecific hybrid which reproduces hemiclonally by crossing with the parental species (P. ridibundus or P. lessonae). The structure of hemiclonal population systems is of great interest. The majority of investigations into populations of water frogs deal with samples of mature animals, while subadults are less studied. We collected a random sample of 73 small water frogs from three localities in the Siverskyi Donets River floodplain. All frogs were measured, injected with colchicines and killed after anesthesia. We determined the species specifity, sex, age and ploidy of every individual. In addition, we measured testis length and studied the germ cells of all males by means of karyological analysis. We calculated the portion of triploids in the largest subsample from the vicinity of the Biological Station of V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University and carried out a meta-analysis of previous publications dealing with composition of green frog samples from this locality. The proportion of triploids in our sample appeared to be approximately the same as 12 years ago. However, this proportion in our sample differed significantly from that obtained in recent samples of green frogs belonging to other age groups (adults and metamorphs) from the same locality. The share of triploids of P. esculentus is the lowest in the sample of metamorphs. This proportion increases in froglets because of early death of representatives of parental species which originated from hybrid-hybrid crossing. Then the number of triploids among adult P. esculentus individuals declines again probably because of their lower viability compared to diploids. We have revealed that subadult diploids have erythrocytes smaller than 28 microns, while triploids’ erythrocytes exceed 27 microns. Therefore, in borderline cases true ploidy could be determined only by the karyological technique. The average ratio between testis length and body length appeared to be larger in the parental species than in both diploid and triploid hybrids. Karyological analysis has revealed that P. esculentus had significantly lower portions of spermatocytes I with normal karyotype (13 bivalents) in the testis in comparison with P. ridibundus, but this value increases in adult hybrids. We suggest that increasing of spermatogenesis stability in adult frogs as opposed to subadults might be the consequence of both selection of germ cell lines in the testis and more frequent survival of individuals with stable gametogenesis. 

Development of testes and differentiation of germ cells in water frogs of the Rana esculenta - complex (Amphibia, Anura)

1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta Bartmańska ◽  
Maria Ogielska
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cells ◽  
Parental Species ◽  
Sex Differentiation ◽  
Gonad Development ◽  
Rana Esculenta ◽  
Water Frog ◽  
New Class ◽  
Water Frogs ◽  
Rana Esculenta Complex ◽  
European Water Frog

AbstractThe European water frog, Rana esculenta, is a hybrid whose genome is composed of haploid chromosome sets of its parental species R. lessonae and R. ridibunda. Prior to meiosis one of the parental sets is discarded and the other is duplicated (hybridogenesis). In the parental species sex differentiation begins at tadpole stages 28-30 (Gosner, 1960), at stages 30-36 the testes are composed of proliferating pale spermatogonia 1°. At stages 36-39 a new class of spermatogonia I° (dark) appears. Before first hibernation, seminiferous lobules are filled with cysts containing germ cells at various stages of spermatogenesis up to elongating spermatids. In R. esculenta gonad development is affected from the earliest stages: the gonads are smaller and composed of reduced number of spermatogonia I°. The phase of pale spermatogonia I° proliferation is prolonged up to the second year of life. The structure of the gonads, as well as that of germ cells themselves, are often abnormal.

scholarly journals Micronuclei in germ cells of hybrid frogs from Pelophylax esculentus complex contain gradually eliminated chromosomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Dedukh ◽  
S. Riumin ◽  
M. Chmielewska ◽  
B. Rozenblut-Kościsty ◽  
K. Kolenda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cells ◽  
Parental Species ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Single Chromosome ◽  
Water Frog ◽  
Genome Reorganization ◽  
Interspecies Hybrids ◽  
Metaphase Stage ◽  
Pelophylax Esculentus ◽  
Species Specific

Abstract In most organisms, cells typically maintain genome integrity, as radical genome reorganization leads to dramatic consequences. However, certain organisms, ranging from unicellular ciliates to vertebrates, are able to selectively eliminate specific parts of their genome during certain stages of development. Moreover, partial or complete elimination of one of the parental genomes occurs in interspecies hybrids reproducing asexually. Although several examples of this phenomenon are known, the molecular and cellular processes involved in selective elimination of genetic material remain largely undescribed for the majority of such organisms. Here, we elucidate the process of selective genome elimination in water frog hybrids from the Pelophylax esculentus complex reproducing through hybridogenesis. Specifically, in the gonads of diploid and triploid hybrids, but not those of the parental species, we revealed micronuclei in the cytoplasm of germ cells. In each micronucleus, only one centromere was detected with antibodies against kinetochore proteins, suggesting that each micronucleus comprises a single chromosome. Using 3D-FISH with species-specific centromeric probe, we determined the role of micronuclei in selective genome elimination. We found that in triploid LLR hybrids, micronuclei preferentially contain P. ridibundus chromosomes, while in diploid hybrids, micronuclei preferentially contain P. lessonae chromosomes. The number of centromere signals in the nuclei suggested that germ cells were aneuploid until they eliminate the whole chromosomal set of one of the parental species. Furthermore, in diploid hybrids, misaligned P. lessonae chromosomes were observed during the metaphase stage of germ cells division, suggesting their possible elimination due to the inability to attach to the spindle and segregate properly. Additionally, we described gonocytes with an increased number of P. ridibundus centromeres, indicating duplication of the genetic material. We conclude that selective genome elimination from germ cells of diploid and triploid hybrids occurs via the gradual elimination of individual chromosomes of one of the parental genomes, which are enclosed within micronuclei.

scholarly journals Helminths of the Eurasian marsh frog, Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771) (Anura: Ranidae), from the Shiraz region, southwestern Iran

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-268
Author(s):  
V. León-Règagnon
Keyword(s):  
Larval Stage ◽  
Helminth Species ◽  
Fars Province ◽  
Marsh Frog ◽  
Pelophylax Ridibundus ◽  
Southwestern Iran ◽  
Cosmocerca Ornata

SummaryFourty seven specimens of Pelophylax ridibundus were collected in the vicinity of Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran in 1972. Fourteen helminth species were found, eight digeneans (Diplodiscus subclavatus, Halipegus alhaussaini, Haematoloechus similis, Codonocephalus urniger, and four species of metacercariae) and 6 nematodes (Cosmocerca ornata, Rhabdias bufonis, Abbreviata sp., Eustrongylides sp., Onchocercidae gen. sp. and one species of larval nematodes). Of these, only six are adults, while 8 are in their larval stage. The most prevalent helminths were the metacercariae of Codonocephalus urniger (61.7%) and the larvae Abbreviata sp. (55.32%). The adults with the highest prevalence are the digenean Halipegus alhaussaini, and the nematode Cosmocerca ornata (34% in both cases).

scholarly journals The diet of water frogs (Pelophylax esculentus 'complex') from the Petrovaradinski Rit marsh (Serbia)

2010 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 797-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paunovic ◽  
Olivera Bjelic-Cabrilo ◽  
Smiljka Simic
Keyword(s):  
Niche Breadth ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Pelophylax Ridibundus ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Food Components ◽  
Water Frogs ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Pelophylax Esculentus ◽  
Trophic Competition

In the Petrovaradinski Rit marsh region, the composition, dynamics and importance of the food components of three syntopic anuran species of the genus Pelophylax were analyzed through all the seasons of their activity in order to determine the vulnerability of each species in the trophic competition. The results of the studies have shown that the trophic niche breadth, according to the importance index of contents, was the smallest for the species Pelophylax kl. esculentus and largest for the species Pelophylax ridibundus, meaning that the species Pelophylax kl. esculentus has the most uniform diet and is therefore most vulnerable to competition by other species. .

The Atlas Massif separates a northern and a southern mitochondrial haplotype group of North African water frogs Pelophylax saharicus (Anura: Ranidae) in Morocco

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aziza Lansari ◽  
Miguel Vences ◽  
Susanne Hauswaldt ◽  
Ralf Hendrix ◽  
David Donaire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Haplotype ◽  
North African ◽  
High Atlas ◽  
Water Frog ◽  
The North ◽  
Water Frogs ◽  
Atlas Mountains ◽  
High Atlas Mountains ◽  
Gene Coi ◽  
Area North

We assessed the genetic variation of 47 Moroccan populations of the North African water frog (Pelophylax saharicus) using partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI). All 239 samples belonged to the main haplotype clade previously identified from Morocco, with no haplotypes of the Algerian/Tunisian clades among our samples. Altogether 40 haplotypes were found, with a maximum of 13 mutational steps between them. Two weakly divergent haplogroups separated by a minimum of six mutational steps were distributed (i) in the Anti-Atlas and the Sahara (south of the High Atlas Mountains) versus (ii) in the Middle Atlas, the High Atlas, and in the Rif area north of the Atlas Massif. Haplotypes of the northern haplogroup were found at the southernmost locality, which might be due to human translocation, and co-occurrence of the two haplogroups was recorded at three sites within the range of the northern haplogroup.

scholarly journals First bioacoustic and morphological data for the presence of Pelophylax bedriagae in Bulgaria

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-63
Author(s):  
Simeon Lukanov ◽  
Georgi Popgeorgiev ◽  
Nikolay Tzankov
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Marsh Frog ◽  
Water Frog ◽  
Pelophylax Ridibundus ◽  
Mating Calls ◽  
The Town ◽  
Pelophylax Bedriagae ◽  
Made In

AbstractWater frog mating calls from two localities were studied and analyzed. Recordings were made in the summer of 2010 at the Arkutino swamp near the town of Primorsko and at the Vurbitza River near the town of Momchilgrad. A total of 154 calls were analyzed and the results suggested the presence of both the Marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) and the Levant frog (Pelophylax bedriagae) in both sites, with the former being more frequent in Vurbitza River, and the latter – in Arkutino. At Vurbitza, we also captured and measured 2 specimens, which morphological characteristics differed from P. ridibundus and matched those of P. bedriagae. These are the first localities for P. bedriagae in Bulgaria.

scholarly journals Ecological Observations on Hybrid Populations of European Plethodontid Salamanders, Genus Speleomantes

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 285
Author(s):  
Enrico Lunghi ◽  
Fabio Cianferoni ◽  
Stefano Merilli ◽  
Yahui Zhao ◽  
Raoul Manenti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Parental Species ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Trophic Niche ◽  
Natural Hybrid ◽  
Ecological Information ◽  
Total Length ◽  
Plethodontid Salamanders ◽  
The Future ◽  
First Time

Speleomantes are the only plethodontid salamanders present in Europe. Multiple studies have been performed to investigate the trophic niche of the eight Speleomantes species, but none of these studies included hybrid populations. For the first time, we studied the trophic niche of five Speleomantes hybrid populations. Each population was surveyed twice in 2020, and stomach flushing was performed on each captured salamander; stomach flushing is a harmless technique that allows stomach contents to be inspected. We also assessed the potential divergence in size and body condition between natural and introduced hybrids, and their parental species. Previously collected data on Speleomantes were included to increase the robustness of these analyses. In only 33 out of 134 sampled hybrid Speleomantes we recognized 81 items belonging to 11 prey categories. The frequency of empty stomachs was higher in females and individuals from natural hybrid populations, whereas the largest number of prey was consumed by males. We compared the total length and body condition of 685 adult salamanders belonging to three types of hybrids and three parental (sub)species. Three group of salamanders (one hybrid and two parental species) showed significantly larger size, whereas no difference in body condition was observed. This study provided novel ecological information on Speleomantes hybrid populations. We also provided insights into the potential divergence between hybrids and parental species in terms of size and body condition. We discuss our findings, and formulate several hypotheses that should be tested in the future.

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