ORIGINAL PAPER
The role of environmental factors in the composition
of anuran species in several ponds under the influence
of coal mining in southern Brazil
Guilherme S. De Lucca
.
Felipe A. P. Barros
.
J. Vladimir Oliveira
.
Jacir Dal Magro
.
Elaine M. Lucas
Received: 4 April 2017 / Accepted: 21 August 2017 / Published online: 30 August 2017
Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017
Abstract Environmental pollution caused by the
disposal of chemicals or toxins into the environment
represent a great threat to amphibians. In this study, it
was evaluated which environmental factors of ponds
under the influence of coal-mining influence the
composition of anuran species. For this purpose,
anuran samples were performed in ponds in coal
extraction areas in southern Brazil. Physical and
chemical characteristics of water, sediment and struc-
tural characteristics of the ponds were determined. The
content of copper in the sediments of the ponds was the
main variable to explain the composition of pond
species. Besides copper, it is evident the relevance of
number of vegetation strata at pond border and pond
area on the composition of anurans. It is shown that the
composition of species in ponds under the influence of
mineral coal mining activity may be a result of
historical perturbations, remaining only the most
tolerant towards colonization. From the results
obtained in this work it can be suggested that there is
a synergistic interaction between environmental fac-
tors and the coal mining effects on the anurans fauna of
impacted ponds. Thus, efforts should be directed to
elucidate the effects of pollutants exposure levels on
the species, the understanding of sub-lethal and lethal
effects of each pollutant on each species, as well as
how local populations can be maintained through
recruiting rates of larvae and anurans of the impacted
ponds.
Keywords Amphibians decline Á Copper effects Á
Heavy metals Á Threats to conservation
Introduction
Environmental changes caused by anthropic actions
are considered huge threats to world biodiversity
(Ceballos et al. 2015). Based on fossil records and
indexes of species extinction, theoretical models have
pointed anthropogenic rates as high as one thousand
greater than natural rates (de Vos et al. 2014), with
losses in the range of 11,000–58,000 species per year
(Dirzo et al. 2014). These biodiversity changes may
generate dramatic impacts on the stability and func-
tioning of ecosystems (Wang and Loreau 2016) and
hence the knowledge of contributing factors by
population declines and even extinction comprises
G. S. De Lucca Á F. A. P. Barros Á J. V. Oliveira Á
J. Dal Magro Á E. M. Lucas (&)
Environmental Sciences Area, Unochapeco
´
,
PO Box 1141, Chapeco
´
, SC, Brazil
e-mail: elaine.lucasg@gmail.com
J. V. Oliveira
Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, UFSC,
Floriano
´
polis, SC 88040-900, Brazil
E. M. Lucas
Department of Zootechny and Biological Sciences,
UFSM, Palmeira das Misso
˜
es, RS 89809-000, Brazil
123
Wetlands Ecol Manage (2018) 26:285–297
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-017-9573-8
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