title: Lethal and sublethal effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on Rana sylvatica tadpoles.
abstract: In static experiments, we exposed tadpoles of the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) to sediment collected from a riverine wetland in the St. Lawrence River basin that is highly contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Significant mortality occurred early in the experiment and was not explained by a simple dose-dependent relationship. Direct sediment contact resulted in higher tadpole mortality compared with tadpoles suspended in mesh containers above the sediment. Sublethal effects of exposure were also apparent, characterized by behavioral abnormalities, including reduced activity levels and swimming speed, that differed depending on whether tadpoles were in contact with or suspended above the sediment. We demonstrate in this experiment that PCB-contaminated sediment induced significant mortality and behavioral dysfunction in early development, but the effects on natural populations existing in the contaminated region is not known.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. wksavage@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Wesley K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Savage
authors.forename: Fred W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Quimby
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: DeCaprio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D009518:New York; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000633:toxicity*; D011898:Ranidae; D018675:Toxicity Tests
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls