Salty surprises: Developmental and behavioral responses to environmental salinity reveal higher tolerance of inland rather than coastal Bufo spinosus tadpoles.

Salinization is predicted to intensify due to climate change, impacting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Amphibians, particularly embryos and larvae, are highly susceptible to environmental salinity. Yet, local adaptation may cause differing vulnerabilities between coastal and inland populations.

The interactive effects of salt and heat on coastal ectotherms.

Coastal ecosystems face salinization and rising temperatures. In coastal ectotherms, salinity and temperature affect metabolism, tolerance, infections, growth, behavior, and survival. Overall, the combined effects of salinity and temperature on species distribution, community structure, invasive species, and ecosystem functioning need to be fully assessed to understand impacts from these stressors.

Interaction between females and males grapevine moth Lobesia botrana modifies further mating preference.

During reproduction, females may boost their fitness by being selective based on direct material benefits provided by the males, such as nuptial gifts. In Lepidoptera, male provides a spermatophore containing nutrients. However, virgin males produce a bigger spermatophore, containing spermatozoa and nutrients, allowing higher female fertility.

Variations of salinity during reproduction and development affect ontogenetic trajectories in a coastal amphibian.

Although coastal ecosystems are naturally submitted to temporal variations of salinity, salinization has been increasing over time threatening coastal biodiversity. Species that exploit such habitats can thus be exposed to brackish water at different life stages. However, the impacts of variations of salinity on wildlife remain poorly understood.

Colouration matters in dull toads: ultraviolet adornment for ladies and agrochemicals fading effects.

Integument colouration can influence many aspects of fitness, and is under strong sexual selection. Amphibians often express sexual dichromatism, and ultra-violet (UV) colouration is usually biased toward males as a sexual signal. As an honest signal, colouration is related to several individual traits, but can also be related to environmental factors such as anthropogenic pollutants, to which amphibians are highly sensitive.

Long-term trends of salinity in coastal wetlands: Effects of climate, extreme weather events, and sea water level.

Coastal freshwater ecosystems play major roles as reservoirs of biodiversity and provide many ecosystem services and protection from extreme weather events. While they are of particular importance worldwide, they are affected by a large variety of anthropogenic threats, among which salinization has been less studied, particularly regarding large temporal and spatial data sets based on real case scenarios, while salinity can impact biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In this study, we investigated the variations of salinity across long-term (1996-2020) and seasonal (monthly records) temporal scales and spatial (varying distance to the coastline) scales in water bodies of two typical temperate coastal wetlands situated on the Atlantic coast of France.

From the Field to the Lab: Physiological and Behavioural Consequences of Environmental Salinity in a Coastal Frog.

Environmental salinization is recognized as a global threat affecting biodiversity, particularly in coastal ecosystems (affected by sea level rise and increased frequency and severity of storms), and the consequent osmoregulatory challenges can negatively affect wildlife. In order to assess whether coastal species can respond to changes in environmental salinity, it remains essential to investigate the consequences of exposure to salinity in an environmentally-relevant context. In this study, we assessed the consequences of exposure to environmental salinity in coastal frogs ( sp.

Hydric status influences salinity-dependent water selection in frogs from coastal wetlands.

The environment is heterogeneous across spatial and temporal scales, and the behavioural responses required to adjust individuals' needs to resource availability across such variable environments should be under selective pressure. Coastal wetlands are characterized by a diversity of habitats ranging from fresh- to salt water; and individuals occurring in such complex habitats need to adjust their habitat use based on their osmotic status. In this study, we experimentally tested whether an amphibian species (Pelophylax sp.

Slight variations in coastal topography mitigate the consequence of storm-induced marine submersion on amphibian communities.

The rise in sea-level and the increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (i.e., storms and associated surges) are expected to strongly impact coastal areas.