Toxicity of Amphibian Breeding Ponds in the Sudbury Region

Abstract

We measured the survival of transplanted embryos and tadpoles of the wood frog (Rana sylvatica), the American toad (Bufo americanus), and the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) in 16 ponds located approximately 60 km south of Sudbury, Ontario. Mortality of embryos of all species and mortality of B. americanus tadpoles were correlated only with water pH. In two low-pH ponds, high concentrations of dissolved organic compounds might have been a toxic component. Aluminum and pH were correlated with mortality for only R. sylvatica tadpoles. Overall, Al did not appear to be very toxic in both laboratory and field exposures possibly due to complexation by dissolved organic compounds.