SREL Reprint #3311

Lethal and sublethal measures of chronic copper toxicity in the eastern narrowmouth toad, Gastrophryne carolinensis

R. Wesley Flynn1, David E. Scott1, Wendy Kuhne2,3, Diana Soteropoulos1, and Stacey L. Lance1

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
2Savannah River National Laboratory, Department of Energy, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
3Department of Biology, University of South Carolina-Aiken, Aiken, South Carolina, USA

Abstract: Many metals are acutely toxic to aquatic organisms at high concentrations and for some metals, such as copper (Cu), even low-level chronic contamination may be cause for conservation concern. Amphibian susceptibility to Cu has been examined in only a few species, and susceptibility is highly variable. The lethal and sublethal effects were examined of chronic aqueous Cu exposure on embryonic and larval eastern narrowmouth toads, Gastrophryne carolinensis. Copper levels as low as 10 µg Cu/L reduced embryonic and larval survival. Embryonic survivorship varied within- and between-source populations, with embryos derived from uncontaminated-wetland parents having greater survival at lower Cu levels than embryos from parents from a metal-contaminated constructed wetland. At 30 µg/L, embryos from the contaminated site had greater survival. Overall survival from oviposition to metamorphosis was 68.9% at 0 µg/L and 5.4% at 10 µg/L. Similarly, embryos exposed to ≥50 µg/L demonstrated developmental delays in transition from embryo to free-swimming larva. These results demonstrate a negative population-specific response to environmentally relevant levels of Cu.

Keywords: Gastrophryne, Metal toxicity, Ecotoxicology, Survival, Delayed development

SREL Reprint #3311

Flynn, R. W., D. E. Scott, W. Kuhne, D. Soteropoulos, and S. L. Lance. 2015. Lethal and sublethal measures of chronic copper toxicity in the eastern narrowmouth toad, Gastrophryne carolinensis. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 34(3): 575-582.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).