SREL Reprint #0392
Growth
and Developmental Responses of Larval Toad Populations to Heated Effluent in a
South Carolina Reservoir
David
H. Nelson
Abstract
Eggs of the Southern toad (Bufo terrestris
Bonnaterre) were laid in a reservoir receiving heated effluent from a
production reactor on the Savannah River Plant area. Larvae were removed at weekly intervals from different
thermal regimes in and around the reservoir for comparison of rates of
development and growth. Larvae were
measured and staged according to the level of development.
Embryonic and larval mortality, which were high in an unprotected area
along the reservoir shoreline, were negligible in shallows receiving cool-stream
seepage. Different growth and
developmental rates reflected the extent of thermal loading imposed on the
habitat. Within the range of
thermal tolerance, embryos living in habitats influenced by the thermal effluent
developed more rapidly and metamorphosed at a smaller size than those living in
unheated areas.
SREL Reprint #0392
Nelson, D.H. 1974. Growth and developmental
responses of larval toad populations to heated effluent in a
South Carolina reservoir. p. 264-276. In Thermal Ecology,
edited by J.W. Gibbons and R.R. Sharitz. CONF 730505.
Atomic Energy Commission.
