Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-24-2025
Publication Source
Proceedings of the 2025 Berry Summer Thesis Institute
Abstract
Amphibians are among the most threatened group of animals on the planet, with over 40% of living species facing an extinction risk. These organisms are highly sensitive to environmental change due to their highly permeable skin and complex life cycle that exposes them to stressors in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Amphibian populations that are closely monitored can serve as valuable bioindicators of environmental health because they typically respond rapidly to habitat degradation, decreased water quality, and changes in climate. Tadpoles in particular may act as a “canary in a coal mine” for aquatic ecosystems because they easily develop anatomical deformities. One such deformity is malformed mouthparts, which may occur when bodies of water become contaminated with environmental toxins. These mouthparts are highly sensitive and can become modified due to changes in water temperature and pH, which may affect their ability to feed. Their mouthparts can also become deformed due to chytridiomycosis, an infectious fungal disease linked to population declines and extinctions of amphibians worldwide. We studied mouthpart morphology in the American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) to determine prevalence of deformities in local populations of tadpoles in the Dayton region. Analysis of keratodont variation will allow us to quantify the relationships among water quality parameters, environmental toxins, disease occurrence, and the prevalence/type of tadpole deformities.
Keywords
Keratodont, Deformities, Rana Catesbeiana, Tadpoles
Disciplines
Evolution | Integrative Biology | Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
eCommons Citation
Canfield, Nicholas J., "Evaluating the Environmental Determinants of Tadpole Mouthpart Deformities" (2025). Proceedings of the Berry Summer Thesis Institute, 2025. 7.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_bsti_2025/7
Included in
Evolution Commons, Integrative Biology Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Comments
I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Daniel Paluh and everyone in the Paluh lab who has helped me with several different aspects of this project. Additionally, I would like to thank the Berry family and everyone in the University Honors Program for funding my project and allowing me an opportunity to pursue this summer research. Finally, thank you to Dr. Borbonus and my fellow cohort members the Berry Summer Thesis Institute for their encouragement and support throughout this summer.