title: Bioaccumulation of trace elements in omnivorous amphibian larvae: implications for amphibian health and contaminant transport.
abstract: Despite the influence that amphibians have on the flow of energy and nutrients in ecological systems, the role that amphibians play in transporting contaminants through food webs has received very little attention. This study was undertaken to investigate bioaccumulation of trace elements in amphibians relative to other small aquatic organisms in a contaminated wetland. We collected bullfrog larvae (Rana catesbeiana) along with three other species of small vertebrates and four species of invertebrates from a site contaminated with a wide array of trace elements and analyzed them for trace element concentrations and stable nitrogen and carbon isotope composition. We found that amphibian larvae accumulated the highest concentrations of most trace elements, possibly due to their feeding ecology. These results suggest that omnivorous amphibian larvae can serve as a critical link for trace element trophic transfer. Their propensity to accumulate trace elements may have important implications for amphibian health in contaminated environments and should be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, The University of Georgia, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA. unrine@srel.edu
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Unrine
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Romanek
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism; D020387:Food Chain; D007814:Larva / Q000737:chemistry; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011892:Rana catesbeiana / Q000378:metabolism*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D014131:Trace Elements