Effects of Salinity on Survivorship of Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) Tadpoles

We examined the survivorship of wood frog (Rana sylvalica) tadpoles when exposed continuously to various concentrations of sodium chloride, a common component of road salt. A high environmental concentration of NaCl (5.6 g L-1) resulted in decreased survivorship within a short period of time compared to controls; lower concentrations of NaCl also decreased survivorship, but the effect took longer to appear. These results indicate that environmental salinization, as results from road salt run-off, will have negative consequences for the wood frog.