Ontogenic delays in effects of nitrite exposure on tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum) and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica)

Abstract

Under certain conditions, nitrite can be present in freshwater systems in quantities that are toxic to the fauna. I exposed wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum) embryos and young tadpoles and larvae to elevated concentrations of nitrite in chronic toxicity tests: 0, 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, 2.1, 4.6, and 6.1 mg/L NO2-N, exposing individuals as both embryos and larvae. Nitrite caused significant declines in wood frog hatching success (3.4 mg/L NO2-N, wood frog), and lower concentrations caused significant mortality during the early larval stages (4.6 mg/L NO2-N, salamander; 0.5 mg/L NO2-N, wood frog). Later tests exposing individuals to nitrite only after hatching showed that both wood frog and tiger salamander vulnerability to nitrite declined shortly after hatching. Hence, examining a single life-history stage, especially later in development, may miss critical toxic effects on organisms, causing the researcher potentially to underestimate seriously the ecological consequences of nitrite exposure.