Visakhapatnam: Dhwani Dave, a PhD scholar at the School of Life Sciences, GITAM Deemed to be University, has been awarded a student research grant by the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation. Her doctoral research will delve into the fascinating and delicate world of frog communication. According to the researcher, frogs rely heavily on unique acoustic signals (mating calls) to attract partners and compete for reproductive success, sometimes even utilising their natural surroundings as amplifiers to enhance their calls. These behavioural traits have evolved over millions of years. However, her study focuses on the growing ecological threat posed by pharmaceutical pollution.The research investigates how chemical residues from discarded and leftover medicines enter waterways, accumulate in frogs’ bodies, and disrupt their endocrine (hormonal) systems. This hormonal imbalance can significantly alter both the frogs’ ability to produce their distinct mating calls and their capacity to respond to them, directly threatening their survival and reproduction.The findings from Dhwani’s study are expected to provide valuable data for environmental policymakers and conservationists working to protect freshwater ecosystems from the often invisible threats posed by chemical and pharmaceutical waste.“The proposed work addresses a crucial, long-standing gap in tropical ecology regarding how sensitive taxa such as amphibians are affected by emerging pollutants. Amphibians are important ecological indicators, and understanding how modern chemical waste disrupts their ancient evolutionary behaviours is vital for biodiversity conservation,“ said Dr Viraj R. Toraskar, who is guiding Dhwani’s research at Gitam.
