PARENT SESSION
Oral Session # 27: Wetland Ecology II: Amphibians, Chemical Cycling, and Tidal Forests.
Presiding: D Jenkins
Tuesday, August 5. 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM, SITCC Meeting Room 101.

Hatching and early larval survival of amphibians in response to nitrate enrichment.

Griffis-Kyle, Kerry^*,1, ¹ Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA

ABSTRACT- There has been considerable concern related to how anthropogenic activities, such as pollution, affect organisms. Excess nitrogen entering the environment is causing changes in ecosystems worldwide, has been generating concern on a global scale, and is a possible culprit in the global decline of amphibian populations. Research suggests that increases in the concentration of nitrate in surface waters may alter the behavior and physiology of organisms and alter species interactions in aquatic communities. We conducted field and laboratory toxicology studies on the effects of agriculture and nitrogen enrichment on the hatching and early larval survival of several species of early breeding amphibians. We found that concentrations of nitrate in the environment during the early spring depress the number of eggs that hatch and decrease larval survival. These results have important implications for the long-term stability of amphibian populations in agricultural lands.

Key words: nitrate, amphibians, hatching, survival