Ecological adaptations of amphibians to environmental changes along an altitudinal gradient (Case Study: Bufo gargarizans) from phenotypic and genetic perspectives.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Organisms have evolved a range of phenotypic and genetic adaptations to live in different environments along an altitudinal gradient. Herein, we studied the widely distributed Chinese toad, Bufo gargarizans, as a model and used an integrated phenotype-genotype approach to assess adaptations to different altitudinal environments.

Results

Comparison of populations from four altitudes (50 m, 1200 m, 2300 m, and 3400 m) showed more effective defenses among high-altitude toads. These included thickened epidermis, more epidermal capillaries and granular glands, greater gland size in skin, and higher antioxidant enzyme activities in plasma. High-altitude toads also showed increased erythrocytes and hematocrit and elevated hemoglobin concentration, potentially improving o

SUBMITTER: Niu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11465660 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature