Special guest Ivan Gomez-Mestre presents findings of recent amphibian research

Sept. 29, the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology kicked off its seminar series with a lecture by ecologist, Dr. Ian Gomez-Mestre, from the Eco-Evo-Devo group at the Doñana Biological Station in Seville, Spain.

Gomez-Mestre shared the findings of his most recent research, which studied the impact of environmental factors on the genetic expression and development of tadpoles.

“Organisms use environmental cues to assess environmental suitability then react by adjusting their behavior,” Gomez-Mestre said.

Gomez-Mestre said the process of birds flying south for the winter is a common example of a species’ “plastic” response to an environmental cue, which he described as any physical, behavioral or genetic change in an organism facilitated by these cues. This prompted Gomez-Mestre to wonder if — and to what extent —  the three were intertwined.

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Using data collected on western spadefoot tadpoles, Gomez-Mestre said he analyzed how different combinations of environmental cues altered the size, development and regulation of genes in the species. Common stressors that serve as cues for these toads include pond drying and predator presence. The two then became the principal variables in Gomez-Mestre’s experiment.

Upon exposure to pond drying, Gomez-Mestre said he observed tadpoles were reduced in size and showed signs of accelerated development and metabolic rate. Genetic testing on the brain, liver and tail revealed only the liver’s genetic regulation changed significantly in this environment.

Exposure to a predator, however, yielded contrasting data, Gomez-Mestre said. Tadpoles were noted to have increased in size and experienced delays in metamorphosis. Genetic testing demonstrated that gene regulation was most impacted in the brain and tail.

Gomez-Mestre then introduced a combination of the stressors to the tadpoles. He said there was a variable physical response from each tadpole.

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“Common risks may trigger conflictive plastic responses. Exposing organisms to multiple cues produces multiple or conflicting phenotypes,” Gomez-Mestre said.

After consulting existing literature on the topic, Gomez-Mestre also said he found these results were consistent across several species — not just in the western spadefoot toad.

In the future, Gomez-Mestre said he hopes to replicate these findings using a comparative approach and multiple toad species.

The next installment of the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology’s Seminar Series will be held Friday, Oct. 20 in room 184 of Russell Laboratories, and will feature a lecture by disease ecologist Mark Wilber.