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Differential-Effects of PH and Temperature on Embrayoic-Development in the British News (Triturus)

Griffiths, Richard A., Dewijer, P. (1994) Differential-Effects of PH and Temperature on Embrayoic-Development in the British News (Triturus). Journal of Zoology, 234 . pp. 613-622. ISSN 0952-8369. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:20234)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.

Abstract

Changes in the water quality and temperature relationships of ponds may affect the structure of amphibian assemblages. The survival, time to hatching, hatching size and hatching stage of newt embryos were studied in the three British species (Triturus cristatus, T. helveticus and T. vulgaris), at two temperatures and two pHs. All T. cristatus embryos failed to hatch at pH 4.5, whereas over 80% of T. helveticus and T. vulgaris embryos hatched successfully at the same pH. At pH 7.5, T. cristatus survival was the same as the other two species, after the 50% mortality due to the homomorphism of chromosome 1 was taken into account. Temperature had no effect on survival of embryos. Time to hatching was two to four times longer at 12 degrees C than at 17 degrees C. Low pH shortened development time in T. vulgaris but not in T. helveticus. Low pH, but not temperature, affected size at hatching, with T. helveticus and T. vulgaris embryos emerging at a smaller size and earlier stage of development under acidic conditions. This reduction of size at low pH affected T. vulgaris more than T. helveticus. We predict that T. cristatus embryos will be the most vulnerable of the three species to acidification in nature. Warm ponds will result in rapid embryonic development, but T. helveticus and T. vulgaris larvae hatching in acid ponds will do so at a smaller size and earlier stage of development. The pattern of vulnerability to acidification within amphibian assemblages may change during ontogeny.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Biosciences
Depositing User: P. Ogbuji
Date Deposited: 26 Jun 2009 08:36 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 09:58 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/20234 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Griffiths, Richard A..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5533-1013
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