Stable isotope analyses-A method to distinguish intensively farmed from wild frogs.

ABSTRACT: Consumption of frog legs is increasing worldwide, with potentially dramatic effects for ecosystems. More and more functioning frog farms are reported to exist. However, due to the lack of reliable methods to distinguish farmed from wild-caught individuals, the origin of frogs in the international trade is often uncertain. Here, we present a new methodological approach to this problem. We investigated the isotopic composition of legally traded frog legs from suppliers in Vietnam and Indonesia. Muscle and bone tissue samples were examined for δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, and δ¹⁸O stable isotope compositions, to elucidate the conditions under which the frogs grew up. We used DNA barcoding (16S rRNA) to verify species identities. We identified three traded species (Hoplobatr

SUBMITTER: Dittrich C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5395441 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature