Ecotoxicology in Amphibians and Reptiles: Mechanisms, Impacts, and Conservation Perspectives

About this Research Topic

Submission deadlines

  1. Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 14 January 2026 | Manuscript Submission Deadline 4 May 2026

  2. This Research Topic is currently accepting articles.

Background

Amphibians and reptiles are among the most threatened vertebrate groups worldwide, facing multiple stressors that highly jeopardize their survival. Although the impacts of environmental contaminants on herpetofauna are being investigated, it still remains quite underexplored compared to other taxa. Understanding the effects of pesticides and other contaminant on amphibians and reptiles, and their mechanisms to cope with these stressors are critical not only to fill the knowledge gap on this subject, but also for assessing ecosystem health and guiding conservation strategies.

This Research Topic aims to gather cutting-edge research on the exposure, effects, and mechanisms of environmental pollutants in amphibians and reptiles. Cross-disciplinary research is essential to deepen our understanding of how environmental stressors contribute to biodiversity loss and to understand downstream impacts on ecosystems and other species. We invite contributions that highlight and explore both, advancements and challenges on ecotoxicology, including lab, field, in-silico, or hybrid approaches, and may cover topics such as exposure and hazard assessments, behavioural, reproductive and physiological effects of contaminants, as well as modelling population dynamics across spatial and temporal scales.

Interdisciplinary work linking ecotoxicology with conservation biology, risk assessment, and environmental management is particularly encouraged. Potential themes include contaminant bioaccumulation and biomagnification, sublethal and transgenerational effects, contaminant interactions with pathogens or climate stressors, and innovative biomarker development. By bringing together these perspectives, this collection seeks to highlight the ecological relevance of toxicological studies and promote conservation-oriented ecotoxicology.

All contributions should provide fresh insights and appeal to a broad readership in herpetofauna ecotoxicology.

Amphibians and reptiles play vital roles in ecosystems as predators, prey, and bioindicators of environmental change. However, global declines in their populations highlight their vulnerability to multiple stressors, including chemical pollution. Contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants can disrupt development, reproduction, and immune function in these organisms, often with subtle, but ecologically significant effects. Despite this, amphibians and reptiles remain underrepresented in regulatory toxicity testing and risk evaluation frameworks.

This Research Topic aims to shed light on recent advances in understanding how these vertebrates respond to chemical stress, emphasizing their unique physiology and ecological niches.

The goal of this Research Topic is to advance our understanding of how environmental contaminants impact amphibians and reptiles at multiple biological and ecological scales. Despite their ecological importance and sensitivity to pollutants, these taxa are often overlooked in ecotoxicological research and risk assessments. We aim to bridge this gap by promoting interdisciplinary studies that link contaminant exposure to individual, population, and ecosystem-level effects. By integrating field, laboratory, and modelling approaches, we hope to contribute to a more holistic understanding of ecotoxicology in amphibians and reptiles and to support evidence-based conservation and environmental policies.

We welcome original research, reviews, perspectives, and methodological contributions addressing any aspect of amphibian and reptile ecotoxicology.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Contaminant exposure assessment and risk evaluation

• Biomarker discovery and validation

• Bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and contaminant metabolism

• Interactions between pollutants and other environmental stressors

• Reproductive, developmental, behavioural, and ecological effects

• Conservation implications of contaminant exposure

We particularly encourage interdisciplinary studies that integrate molecular biology, physiology, ecology, and modelling approaches. Contributions that connect laboratory experiments with field data or translate ecotoxicological findings into conservation and management practices are highly valued.

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Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

  • Brief Research Report
  • Case Report
  • Classification
  • Clinical Trial
  • Editorial
  • FAIR² Data
  • General Commentary
  • Hypothesis and Theory
  • Methods

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Keywords: Herpetofauna, Environmental stressors, Bioaccumulation, Conservation, Biomarkers, Ecophysiology, Xenobiotics

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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