Common toad Rhinella arenarum (Hensel, 1867) and its importance in assessing environmental health: test of micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes

Pollo, Favio Ezequiel
Bionda, Clarisa de Lourdes
Salinas, Zulma Anahí
Salas, Nancy Edith
Martino, Adolfo Ludovico

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Publication date

September 2015

DOI

10.1007/s10661-015-4802-1

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Journal

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities may generate significant changes in the integrity of aquatic ecosystems, so long-term monitoring of populations that inhabit them is crucial. Counting micronucleated erythrocytes (MN) and erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENA) in peripheral blood is a widely used method for detecting chromosomal damage due to chemical agents in the water. We analyzed MN and ENA frequency in blood obtained from the common toad Rhinella arenarum populations in sites with different degrees of environmental degradation. The results of this study indicate that there is an association between the frequency of micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities and the degree of environmental alteration recorded for the sites studied.Fil: Pollo, Favio...