Effect of multiple stressors and population decline of frogs

Abstract

The ongoing decline in anuran populations is linked primarily to the effects of stressor agents such as pathogens, pesticides, alterations of natural landscapes, and the introduction of exotic species. Most studies that have evaluated the effects of these stressors have focused on a single component, which is the opposite of the reality of most natural environments, where anuran populations tend to suffer the influence of multiple agents simultaneously. Studies of the effects of the interaction between these components are extremely important, given that one agent may potentialize (synergistic effect) or weaken another (antagonistic effect) or, in some cases, have a neutral effect. The present study is based on the scientometric analysis of three bibliographic databases (ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed), which identified 1376 papers that reported on the global decline of anuran populations, although only 172 of these studies focused on the interactive effects of environmental stressors. Synergistic effects were the most frequent type of interaction, followed by antagonistic effects, and a small number of studies that found no clear interaction between the stressors. Pathogens and pesticides were the classes of stressor studied most frequently, while climate-pathogen and pathogen-pesticide interactions were the combinations that featured in the largest number of studies. Overall, we would recommend a more systematic focus on the dynamics of the interactions among the stressors that impact anuran populations, in particular for the elaboration of conservation programs, given that these agents tend to have complex combined effects.