| Title: | Chemical communication in wood frog (Rana sylvatica) tadpoles is influenced by early-life exposure to naphthenic acid fraction compounds |
| Author(s): | Elvidge CK; Robinson CE; Caza RA; Hewitt LM; Frank RA; Orihel DM; |
| Address: | "Department of Biology, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. Electronic address: chris.k.elvidge@gmail.com. Department of Biology, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada. Water Science and Technology Directorate, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada. Department of Biology, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada; School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106435 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1514 (Electronic) 0166-445X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Environmental pollutants can disrupt chemical communication between aquatic organisms by interfering with the production, transmission, and/or detection of, as well as responses to, chemical cues. Here, we test the hypothesis that early-life exposure to naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFCs) from oil sands tailings disrupts antipredator-associated chemical communication in larval amphibians. Wild adult wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) captured during their natural breeding period were combined (1 female:2 males) in six replicate mesocosms filled with either uncontaminated lakewater or with NAFCs isolated from an active tailings pond in Alberta, Canada, at nominal 5 mg/L concentrations. Egg clutches were incubated and tadpoles maintained in their respective mesocosms for approximately 40 days post-hatch. Tadpoles (Gosner stage 25-31) were then transferred individually to trial arenas filled with uncontaminated water and exposed to one of six chemical alarm cue (AC) stimuli solutions following a 3 x 2 x 2 design (3 AC types x 2 stimulus carriers x 2 rearing exposure groups). Relative to control tadpoles, NAFC-exposed tadpoles demonstrated higher baseline activity levels (line crosses and direction changes) when introduced to uncontaminated water. Antipredator responses differed in graded fashion with AC type, with control ACs eliciting the greatest latency to resume activity, water the least, and NAFC-exposed ACs intermediate. Pre- to post-stimulus difference scores were non-significant in control tadpoles, while NAFC-exposed tadpoles demonstrated significantly greater variation. While this suggests that exposure to NAFCs from fertilization through hatching may have interfered with AC production, it is unclear whether the quality or quantity of cues was affected. There was also no clear evidence that NAFC carrier water interfered with ACs or the alarm response in unexposed control tadpoles. These results emphasize the importance of understanding how behavioral and physiological effects of early-life NAFC exposure on critical antipredator responses may persist across life history stages" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Female Larva *Oil and Gas Fields *Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity Ranidae Water/chemistry Alberta Communication Antipredator behavior Damage-released chemical alarm cues NAFCs Oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) Semiochemicals Tailings pon;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineElvidge, Chris K Robinson, Chloe E Caza, Rowena A Hewitt, L Mark Frank, Richard A Orihel, Diane M eng Netherlands 2023/03/09 Aquat Toxicol. 2023 Apr; 257:106435. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2023.106435. Epub 2023 Feb 18" |
