Effects of urban proximity and the occurrence of erythroplastids in Antilophia galeata.

Air pollution can generate changes in the morphology, physiology, and behavior of several animals, including birds, which, when responding to such environmental changes, can be used as biomonitors. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of erythrocyte nuclear anomalies comprise a useful tool for biomonitoring, with anucleated erythrocytes, called erythroplastids, being particularly significant. The objectives of the present study were to quantify the presence of erythroplastids in Antilophia galeata and relate their presence to distance from the nearest urban environment. Blood smears were analyzed for 80 individuals of A. galeata captured between June 2013 and October 2018 in five Cerrado forest fragments of different sizes and with different influences from urbanization. The quantity of erythroplastids differed among areas, with it being greater in fragments within a proximity with urban, and less in highly preserved areas far from an urban environment. Quantification of erythroplastids in A. galeata proved to be a useful tool for monitoring air quality.