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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Impact of Industrial Pollution and Genotoxic
Effects in Marsh Frog (Pelophylax ridibundus
(Pallas, 1771)) Populations in Kosovo
1
Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”,
”Mother Teresa” str. n.n. 10 000 Prishtinë, Republic of Kosovo
2
Faculty of Agribusiness, University of Peja “Haxhi Zeka”, “UÇK” street, 30 000 Pejë, Republic of Kosovo
3
Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University,
Arhimedova 3, 1000 Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
Submission date: 2025-03-07
Final revision date: 2025-06-04
Acceptance date: 2025-06-15
Online publication date: 2025-09-26
Corresponding author
Astrit Bilalli
Faculty of Agribusiness, University of Peja “Haxhi Zeka”, “UÇK” street, 30 000 Pejë, Republic of Kosovo
Faculty of Agribusiness, University of Peja “Haxhi Zeka”, “UÇK” street, 30 000 Pejë, Republic of Kosovo
KEYWORDS
bioindicatorsnuclear abnormalitiesenvironmental monitoringindustrial contaminationamphibian erythrocytes
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Industrial pollution from anthropogenic activities is a critical global issue, significantly affecting
biodiversity. Due to their unique life cycle, limited mobility, permeable skin, and dual habitat in aquatic
and terrestrial environments, amphibians exhibit high sensitivity to environmental changes and serve as
reliable bioindicators of pollution. This study assesses the impact of industrial pollution on Pelophylax
ridibundus populations by examining erythrocyte nuclear morphology. Specimens were collected
from four polluted industrial sites (Kishnica, Obiliq, Mitrovica, and Drenas) and one control site
(Dragash) in Kosovo during the spring and autumn seasons of 2023. Blood samples were obtained
via ventricular puncture, and smears were prepared following standard protocols, stained using
the May-Grünwald-Giemsa method, and examined under a light microscope. The observed nuclear
abnormalities included micronuclei, binuclei, vacuolated nuclei, and irregularly shaped nuclei.
Significant variations were identified in the frequency of nuclear abnormalities between the studied
locations and across seasons. The findings of this study highlight the practical utility of analyzing
micronuclei and nuclear abnormalities in P. ridibundus as evaluative parameters for assessing
the environmental health of ecosystems exposed to industrial pollution.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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