Dynamic responses of gut microbiota to agricultural and wildfire ash: insights from different amphibian developmental stages.

Combustion by-products-specifically wildfire ash and rice-straw ash-are emerging contaminants in freshwater ecosystems. However, their impacts on amphibian survival and gut microbiota across various developmental stages remains largely unclear, thereby limiting evidence-based conservation strategies in fire-affected habitats. This study evaluated the effects of artificial water (control, C) and aqueous extracts of ash (AEAs) derived from wildfire ash (W) and rice straw ash (S) on the survival and gut (G) microbiota of tadpoles (T) and adult frogs (F).

Exposure to Rice Straw Ash Alters Survival, Development and Microbial Diversity in Amphibian Tadpoles.

Amphibians are increasingly threatened by human activities, with rice straw burning emerging as a significant yet underexplored hazard. This practice may release harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), disrupt ecosystems, and affect amphibians. However, the impact on tadpole microbiota and development remains unclear.

Synergistic toxicity of cadmium and triadimefon on the microbiota and health of Rana dybowskii tadpoles.

The skin and gut microbiota are crucial to amphibians. Triadimefon (TF), a widely used triazole fungicide, controls crop diseases and regulates growth, with uncertain effects on amphibian microbiota. Contamination, typically involving mixed chemicals at low concentrations, including cadmium (Cd) and TF, may detrimentally affect amphibian growth, survival, and microbiota health in both the skin and gut, but few research has examined these consequences.