Amphibians
Contaminated wetlands can impact population dynamics in some of the most rapidly decreasing taxa on earth.
Aquatic environments accumulate high levels of contamination through runoff and atmospheric deposition
Industrial activity is one of the leading causes of aquatic contamination. Increasing human populations and global energy demands have resulted in numerous routine and un-intentional releases of agro-chemicals, heavy metals, and radionuclides into the surrounding environment. These contaminants often accumulate in high concentrations within aquatic environments, at times exposing their inhabitants to highly toxic levels of contamination.
As energy demands increase globally, so does the chance of industrial contamination. This map displays the number of coal power plants currently present across the United States.
(Photo credit: U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Wetland contamination and interactive impacts on amphibian resilience and survival
Amphibian populations are declining at rapid rates worldwide. These indicator species are some of the most sensitive to environmental anthropogenic change, and are sentinel species for examining long term ecological ramifications of anthropogenic stress. Exposure to contaminants can impact amphibians in ways that affect population persistence, disease susceptibility, and genetic diversity.
Cumulative effects are causing amphibian declines
There are many potential causes of the massive amphibian declines witnessed worldwide, and natural and anthropogenic stressors can work in combination to influence amphibian populations, potentially leading to declines or local extinctions. Among the most often cited causes of amphibian declines are exposure to environmental contaminants and emerging infectious diseases.
While numerous aquatic organisms are sensitive to contaminants, many have developed complex physiological mechanisms to mitigate the negative effects of these environmental perturbations. However, adaptation to contaminated wetland environments may also have negative consequences on growth, fecundity, and/or altered immune function - all of which can have population level implications.
Cara investigates how anthropogenic environmental change alters the genetic composition and disease susceptibility among populations, how genomic and epigenetic traits mitigate those effects, and how these data can be used to predict and mitigate the impacts of continued anthropogenic change in amphibians and other sensitive taxa.