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Chemical Interference: A Review on Endocrine Disruptors and Reproductive Communication in Amphibians
ABSTRACTAmphibians are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pollution, primarily due to their permeable skin and eggs, as well as their habitat preferences. Endocrine‐disrupting compounds (EDCs), prevalent in aquatic environments and soil, pose a significant threat to their survival. While the physiological effects of EDCs on amphibians have been extensively studied, their impact on behavior remains relatively unexplored. This paper reviews the existing literature on the impact of EDCs on the mating behavior of amphibians, including disruptions in acoustic, olfactory, and visual communication. Although it has been shown that amphibian reproduction can be affected by endocrine disruptors, there are still significant research gaps. We performed an extensive review of the literature, which yielded only 27 eligible studies—21 of which tested the effects on mating communication and behavior, and only 6 examined the impact on body coloration. There is a strong need for a deeper understanding of how EDCs, both alone and in combination with other stressors, affect the reproductive behavior of amphibians, as this may have serious implications for the dynamics and survival of entire populations and species.
Investigating Sexual Characteristics in Two Frog Species Under Exposure to River Water Polluted with Endocrine Disruptors
Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) are emerging environmental pollutants that are known to the disrsupt hormonal system of many vertebrates. Amphibians, with their aquatic larval stages and high sensitivity to waterborne contaminants, are especially vulnerable to EDC exposure. Despite increasing concerns over EDC pollution, systematic monitoring of these compounds in surface waters remains limited in many regions, including the European Union. This study investigates the effects of water from the Warta River, one of the largest rivers in Central Europe, an urban waterway subjected to significant anthropogenic pressure and known to contain EDCs on body condition, digit ratio, and gonadal development in two brown frog species: the common frog Rana temporaria and the moor frog Rana arvalis. We propose DR as a potential biomarker of endocrine disruption, as it is linked to hormonal impact in the early development of vertebrates. In this study, tadpoles were reared in the semi-open experimental setup with tanks containing river or potable tap water as a control. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were observed in body condition, digit ratio, or gonadal structure, suggesting that EDC concentrations in the river water may not have been high enough to induce detectable effects. However, a consistent relation between DR and sex was observed in both species, underscoring its potential as a biologically meaningful trait. Notably, the potable tap water used as a control exhibited contamination levels comparable to the river water, raising concerns about the efficacy of current water treatment methods and highlighting the challenges of establishing true reference conditions in environmental studies.