Physiology, environmental change, and anuran conservation

Abstract

This paper reviews diverse ways in which the emerging discipline of conservation physiology may contribute to the conservation of anuran amphibians. We first present a summary of the goals of conservation physiology. Then, we review five specific sources of environmental change that are known to affect anurans: introduced pathogens (highlighting the case of chytridiomycosis) and exotic species, pollutants, habitat fragmentation, and global climate change. We discuss these types of environmental change in the context of how and why altered environments may become stressing to anurans and cause population declines. We also discuss synergism among variables that may worsen the effect of environmental alterations, and emphasize the importance of conservation physiology for Brazilian anurans.