RESUMO
Nitrate is a potential stressor of amphibian larvae. Previous research has shown variation in the effects of nitrate among species and even populations of amphibians. However, relatively few species and populations of amphibians have been examined for nitrate tolerance, especially from populations in the agricultural regions of the United States. Using a 15-day laboratory experiment, we investigated the effects of nitrate on the larvae of two species of anurans (Rana catesbeiana and R. clamitans) that are common throughout the agricultural Midwest. Survival of R. catesbeiana and R. clamitans tadpoles was negatively affected by higher concentrations of nitrate (20 mg L(-1)), with R. clamitans being more affected than R. catesbeiana. The final mass of R. catesbeiana tadpoles was affected by nitrate concentration, with tadpoles exposed to intermediate concentrations of nitrate (5 mg L(-1)) being the heaviest. The final mass of R. clamitans tadpoles was not affected by nitrate concentration. These experiments suggest that these two species differ in their responses to the toxic effects of nitrate and, along with previous results on Ranids, suggest there is a great deal of variation in nitrate tolerance in this family.
