Download Amphibian Decline: Effects of Acid Rain

4/14/15 Amphibian Decline:
Effects of Acid Rain
By: Asia Montgomery
What is Acid Rain?
—  A broad term that describes
the several ways that acid
falls from the atmosphere
—  Dry deposition
—  Acid rain
—  Acid snow
—  Forms nitric acid and
sulfuric acid from gaseous
pollutants
(1)
—  Sulfur dioxide – sulfuric acid
—  Nitrogen dioxide – nitric
acid
(Singh, 2008)
What it Effects
—  All bodies of water
(2)
—  Higher effect on ephemeral pools because of little dilution
—  Phytoplankton, zooplankton, invertebrates
—  Zooplankton disappear below pH 5
—  Amphibians, Fish
—  Vegetation
—  Strips soil of essential nutrients
—  Small watersheds = little soil buffering
—  Reducing cover, breeding sites, and
egg-laying sites
(Singh, 2008)
(3)
1 4/14/15 Why are they Vulnerable?
—  Acid rain effects water bodies, where amphibians spend
the developmental and reproductive stages of life
—  Highly permeable skin
—  Effects all aspects of their life
—  Food – decreased zooplankton, leading to decreased insects
—  Cover – decreased/damaged vegetation
—  Reproduction – destroy breeding sites, external fertilization
—  Highest mortality rates in embryos
—  Damages larvae and adults
Effects to Embryos
—  Embryo mortality in pH < 4.5
—  Depends on species tolerance level
—  Curling of embryo
—  Depends on species tolerance level
—  Causes deformation of spine and tail,
dorsal arching, and preventing ability
to swim in larvae
—  Yolk plugs fail to retract
—  Depends on species
(4)
—  Stunted, or kinked gills
—  Body wall swelling near heart
—  Study found, “hatching success fell from >90% at pH > 6.5 to
60% at pH < 6.5” in spotted salamanders
(Sandinski, 1992; Pough, 1977)
Effects to Larvae
(5)
—  Decreased growth rate
—  Short exposure (3 days)
—  Small metamorphosis size
—  Decreased survival, due to acid sensitivity
—  Increased predation
—  Smaller larval size, prey for gape-limited predators
—  Limited mobility for escape
—  Loss of body sodium
—  Death happens when 50% of body sodium is lost
(Blaustein, 1990; Clark, 1985; Freda, 1986; Pierce, 1993)
2 4/14/15 Effects to Adults
—  Damage to skin
—  Important for respiration
—  Decreased size
—  Acid related stress
—  Low soil pH
—  Loss of water and sodium
(6)
—  Especially in salamanders
—  Avoid possible breeding grounds
—  Acid decreases competition and predators
(Pierce, 1993; Stallard, 2001)
Indirect Effects of Acid Rain
—  Delayed hatching
—  Delayed metamorphosis
—  From delayed hatching, reduced food availability
—  Increasing stress
—  Increasing effects of other declining factors
—  Aluminum toxicity
(7)
—  Temperature
—  Disease
(Freda et al., 1991; Sandinski, 1992)
Species Declines
—  Tiger Salamanders
(8)
—  Episodic acidification of the Rockies
—  65% decline in 7 yr.
—  Natterjack toad
—  Extinct in lowland heaths
—  Held 50% of British pop.
(9)
—  Jefferson salamander, Spotted salamander
—  Decreased reproduction
(10)
—  American Toad
—  Decreased hatching success
(11)
(Blaustein, 1990; Clark, 1985; Freda et al., 1991; Pough, 1977)
3 4/14/15 Think About It: Why is it Important?
—  Increases the effects of other declining factors
—  Effects all aspects of life
—  Acid rain is a HUMAN made
problem
(13)
(12)
References
— 
Blaustein, Andrew R., and David B. Wake. "Declining Amphibian Populations: A Global Phenomenon?"
Trends in Ecology and Evolution 5.7 (1990): 203-04. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Clark, Karen L., and Ronald J. Hill. "Effects of Elevated Hydrogen Ion and Aluminum Concentrations on
the Survival of Amphibian Embryos and Larvae." Canadian Journal of Zoology 63 (1985): 116-23. Web.
13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Freda, Joseph, Walter J. Sadinski, and William A. Dunson. "Long-term Monitoring of Amphibian
Populations with Respect to the Effects of Acidic Deposition." Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 55 (1991):
445-62. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Freda, Joseph, and William A. Dunson. "Effects of Low pH and other Chemical Variables on the Local
Distribution of Amphibians." Copeia 2 (1986): 454-66. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Pierce, Benjamin A. "The Effects of Acid Precipitation on Amphibians." Ecotoxicology 2 (1993): 65-77.
Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Pough, F. H., and Richard E. Wilson. "Acid Precipitation and Reproductive Success of Ambystoma
Salamanders." Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 7 (1977): 307-16. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Sadinski, Walter J., and William A. Dunson. "A Multilevel Study of Effects of Low pH on Amphibians of
Temporary Ponds." Journal of Herpetology 26.4 (1992): 413-22. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Singh, Anita, and Madhoolika Agrawal. "Acid Rain and its Ecological Consequences." Journal of
Environmental Biology 29.1 (2008): 15-24. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
— 
Stallard, Robert F. "Possible Environmental Factors Underlying Amphibian Decline in Eastern Puerto
Rico: Analysis of U.S. Government Data Archives." Conservation Biology 15.4 (2001): 943-53. Web. 13
Apr. 2015.
Picture References
1. 
http://study.com/cimages/multimages/16/acid_rain_diagram.jpg
2. 
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XO4QaIEYl8U/T-4dQ4hrAdI/AAAAAAAABrI/8oAOGCO97vw/
s1600/acid3.png
3. 
http://www.windows2universe.org/milagro/images/clover_acidrain.gif
4. 
http://imgarcade.com/1/acid-rain-effects-on-animals/
5. 
http://savethefrogs.com/amphibians/images/north-america/Ambystomamacrodactylum-croceum-larva-Robert-Shields-328.jpg
6. 
http://www.sea-way.org/blog/New_Amphibians1.JPG
7. 
p://www.waterencyclopedia.com/images/wsci_01_img0009.jpg
8. 
https://beetlesinthebush.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/
img_3409_enh_crp_1200x800_usm.jpg
9. 
http://www.animalspot.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Natterjack-ToadPhotos.jpg
10. 
http://www.vernalpool.org/images/21_ys_a.jpg
11. 
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/salamanders/
salamander_images/Jefferson1_DaveKazyak.jpg
12. 
http://amphibiaweb.org/amphibian/speciesnums.html
13. 
tp://acidrain.pbworks.com/w/page/1319116/What%20is%20Acid%20Rain
4 4/14/15 Questions??
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