AMPHIBIANS Bioindicators and Sentinel organisms of Metal Pollution

Amphibians are a class of ectothermic tetrapod vertebrates that include frogs toads salamanders newts and caecilians. The majority of species lay eggs undergo metamorphosis moving from a larval stage (usually aquatic) through the development of limbs and lungs to become terrestrial adults. Almost all species are dependent on moist conditions and many require freshwater habitats in which to breed. The greatest diversity occurs in tropical forests with species richness generally lower in temperate and arid regions. Amphibians are excellent indicators of the quality of the overall environment as they are very sensitive to perturbations in ecosystems. The present book reveals the genotoxic potential of various heavy metals utilizing chromosome aberration test and micronucleus test as genotoxic assays selecting E. cyanophlyctis as a model for the genotoxic experiments and evaluations.