scholarly journals Intra-Body Variations of Stable Isotope Ratios (δ13C, δ15N) and Influence of Storage Methods in Aquatic and Post-Aquatic Stages of the Common Toad, Bufo bufo

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 2544
Author(s):  
Andrey N. Reshetnikov ◽  
Daniil I. Korobushkin

Isotopic signatures of carbon and nitrogen are widely used for analysis of the structure of food webs in aquatic ecosystems. The study of animals raises a number of methodological questions, including choice of representative tissues and organs for sampling as well as storage of the studied organisms. Furthermore, the impacts of preservation methods can be tissue-specific, age-specific, and even taxon-specific; thus, studies of these impacts on particular taxa are necessary. We focused on the C and N isotope composition of the common toad (Bufo bufo), one of the most widespread European anuran amphibians. We hypothesized that its different tissues and organs may vary in isotopic composition, and ethanol and freezing may have different effects on isotopic values. Our results showed that both “tissue” and “storage method” factors significantly affected the δ13C values of tadpoles and postmetamorphic juveniles, whereas only the “tissue” factor had a significant effect on the δ15N values. The two stages, tadpoles and postmetamorphs, should be analyzed separately despite the brief postmetamorphic period of the juveniles. The skin, legs, muscles, and tail in tadpoles and legs, muscles and heart in juveniles can be used for δ13C and δ15N analysis regardless of the method of storage. The results will serve for the optimization of future study designs in isotopic ecology.

2017 ◽  
Vol 187 ◽  
pp. 48-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsanett Mikó ◽  
János Ujszegi ◽  
Attila Hettyey

1987 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P. Gittins

AbstractThere was no significant difference between the number of food items obtained by stomach-flushing toads caught in pitfall traps and from the dissection of corpses found on nearby roads. The frequencies of the different food categories were similar using the two methods. 97 % of the toads entering the pond in the spring had not recently fed, whereas 25% of toads leaving the pond had started to feed. Sloughed skin was found in 7% of stomachs. Vegetable matter was found in 15% of stomachs and inorganic matter in 6% of stomachs. The diet of the toad was found to be very varied, and the main food items were beetles, collembolans, millipedes, harvestmen and spiders. The diets of males, females and young toads were very similar, and only slight changes in diet were observed throughout the year. The size of food items ranged from 1 mm to 40 mm with most around 7 mm. There was no significant relationship between the size of the food item and the size of the toad for adult males and females, but there was for juveniles.


1981 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-234
Author(s):  
Manfred Verhaagh ◽  
Hartmut Greven

AbstractThe dermis of the common toad (Bufo bufo) contains three types of chromatophores (xanthophores, iridophores, melanophores) characterized by their own specific pigmented granules. Beyond that, chromatophores with mixed populations of granules, i. e. xanthophores and iridophores containing few melanosomes and a type of cromatophore, which has large amounts of melanosomes plus pterinosomes, have been found. Granules occur regularly in xanthophores consisting of a melanosom, which is surrounded by concentric lamellae typical for pterinosomes.


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