engleski

Effects of artificial light at night on green toad development

Amphibians, as the most threatened group of vertebrates, are susceptible to various anthropogenic influences. One of them is the presence of artificial light at night (ALAN) which is known to affect biodiversity and functioning of the ecosystems, including amphibians. In our research, we examined the effects of a two-week exposure to warm and cold LED light during the night period on the development of green toad, Bufotes viridis embryos and tadpoles, and compared these data to the control group, kept under 12-12 hours of light/dark cycle. Each group was set in five replicates, with 20 eggs. No difference in the hatching time between the groups was observed. At the end of the experiment, tadpoles were measured (length and weight), and used for energy status data (total protein, lipid and carbohydrates content) and molecular biomarker analyses (acetylcholinesterase and glutathione S-transferase). Preliminary results suggest that ALAN affects tadpoles’ size, and activities of biomarkers, while energy status was not significantly disturbed. These data provide important insight into physiological consequences that could arise from exposure to ALAN and more attention should be given to light pollution in urban areas where amphibians are present.

ALAN ; Bufotes viridis ; Amphibia ; tadpoles ; LED light

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