Studying Some Brain and Ovarian Morphological Traits in Diaglena spatulata Female Frogs Thriving in Conserved and Perturbed Habitats: A Preliminary Report and Its Implications for Amphibian Survival and Continuity

Esperanza  Meléndez-Herrera; Bryan Víctor  Phillips-Farfán; Fany Edith  Bucio-Piña; Noemi  Ramírez-Arrés; Gabriel  Gutiérrez-Ospina; Ireri  Suazo-Ortuño; Javier  Alvarado-Díaz; Alma Lilia  Fuentes-Farías

doi:10.4236/abb.2014.59087

Esperanza Meléndez-Herrera, Bryan Víctor Phillips-Farfán, Fany Edith Bucio-Piña, Noemi Ramírez-Arrés, Gabriel Gutiérrez-Ospina, Ireri Suazo-Ortuño, Javier Alvarado-Díaz, Alma Lilia Fuentes-Farías^*

Abstract: Amphibians are thought to be highly susceptible to perturbed environments. However, recent studies show that many of them are successful inhabitants of disturbed, fragmented habitats. The source of this resilience is yet unclear, but it may be the byproduct of having a robust phenotype and/or the result of phenotypic plasticity. We then assessed the contribution of each by evaluating cytological features of two brain nuclei that modulate reproductive behavior and of the ovary, using female specimens of the frog Diaglena spatulata prospering in conserved and disturbed areas of a tropical dry forest. Our results in the brain show that the medial amygdala, but not the preoptic area, had a reduced size in frogs collected in disturbed forests compared to specimens collected in conserved forests. Both brain nuclei displayed, however, neurons with a reduced size in frogs captured in disturbed forest patches. In contrast, ovarian cytological features were similar between groups. Our preliminary results lead us to propose that Diaglena spatulata female specimens might combine robust ovary and plastic brain’s phenotypic traits to confront disturbed environments. This, however, is still a working hypothetical framework that needs to be experimentally confirmed.

Keywords: Amphibians, Reproductive Traits, Amygdala, Medial Preoptic Area, Ovary

Cite this paper: Meléndez-Herrera, E. , Phillips-Farfán, B. , Bucio-Piña, F. , Ramírez-Arrés, N. , Gutiérrez-Ospina, G. , Suazo-Ortuño, I. , Alvarado-Díaz, J. and Fuentes-Farías, A. (2014) Studying Some Brain and Ovarian Morphological Traits in Diaglena spatulata Female Frogs Thriving in Conserved and Perturbed Habitats: A Preliminary Report and Its Implications for Amphibian Survival and Continuity. Advances in Bioscience and Biotechnology, 5, 740-747. doi: 10.4236/abb.2014.59087.

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