Comparative toxicity of ammonium and nitrate compounds to Pacific treefrog and African clawed frog tadpoles

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry Vol. 18; no. 10; pp. 2251 - 2257
• Main Authors: Schuytema, G.S, Nebeker, A.V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01-10-1999; SETAC
• Subjects: Ammonia nitrogen; ammonium; ammonium nitrogen; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; global decline of amphibians; mortality; nitrate; Nitrate nitrogen; pollutants; Pseudacris; Pseudacris regilla; Reptilia. Amphibia; Tadpoles; toxicity; Xenopus; Xenopus laevis; Oregon; United States; North America; America; Pacific; USA; Africa; Toxicity; Xenopus laevis; Sodium nitrate; Amphibia; Salientia; Freshwater environment; Ammonium chloride; Vertebrata; Ammonium sulfate; Xenopus borealis; Ammonium nitrate; Stream; Water pollution; Nitrogen fertilizer; Comparative study; Xenopus; Pseudacris; Nitrate nitrogen; Ammonia nitrogen; Tadpoles
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.5620181019

The effects of ammonium nitrate, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, and sodium nitrate on survival and growth of Pacific treefrog (Pseudacris regilla [Baird and Girard]) and African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis [Daudin]) tadpoles were determined in static-renewal tests. The 10-d ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate LC50s for P. regilla were 55.2 and 89.7 mg/L NH(4)-N, respectively. The 10-d LC50s for X. laevis for the three ammonium compounds ranged from 45 to 64 mg/L NH(4)-N. The 10-d sodium nitrate LC50s were 266.2 mg/L NO(3)-N for P. regilla and 1,236.2 mg/L NO(3)-N for X. laevis. The lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) of ammonium compound based on reduced length or weight was 24.6 mg/L NH(4)-N for P. regilla and 99.5 mg/L NH(4)-N for X. luevis. The lowest sodium nitrate LOAELs based on reduced length or weight were <30.1 mg/L NO(3)-N for P. regilla and 126.3 mg/L NO(3)-N for X. laevis. Calculated un-ionized NH(3) comprised 0.3 to 1.0% of measured NH(4)-N concentrations. Potential harm to amphibians could occur if sensitive life stages were impacted by NH(4)-N and NO(3)-N in agricultural runoff or drainage for a sufficiently long period.