Effects of salinity on survivorship of wood frog (rana sylvatica) tadpoles

Abstract

We examined the survivorship of wood frog (Rana sylvatica) tadpoles when exposed continuously to various concentrations of sodium chloride, a common component of road salt. A high environmental concentration of NaC1 (5.6 g L−1) resulted in decreased survivorship within a short period of time compared to controls; lower concentrations of NaC1 also decreased survivorship, but the effect took longer to appear. These results indicate that environmental salinization, as results from road salt run-off, will have negative consequences for the wood frog. © 2009, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.