A laboratory experimental assessment of the sensibility of Rana temporaria tadpoles to the effects of car traffic-associated seismic disturbances

Authors

  • Octavian CRAIOVEANU Academic Cultural Heritage Department – Vivarium, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: vivariu.muzee@ubbcluj.ro.
  • Karina TESLOVAN Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty for Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Corresponding author: cristina.craioveanu@ubbcluj.ro.
  • Alin DAVID Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty for Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University; Babeş-Bolyai University, Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources 3B, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: alin.david@ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8659-5807
  • Cristina CRAIOVEANU Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty for Biology and Geology, Babeș-Bolyai University; Babeş-Bolyai University, Centre for Systems Biology, Biodiversity and Bioresources 3B, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: cristina.craioveanu@ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3683-2015

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbbiol.2023.1.03

Keywords:

development, growth, metamorphosis, amphibian performance, traffic-related pollution

Abstract

Vibrations generated by road traffic are considered to be a form of physical environmental pollution. Nonetheless, the effect of this disturbance in natural habitats, and in particular on the aquatic stage of amphibians, received very little attention from the scientific community. This study aims to assess the direct effect of mechanical waves and the consequent water turbidity on the aquatic larval stage of Rana temporaria by exposing an experimental group to laboratory-induced vibrations and comparison with a non-exposed control group. Our results show that this kind of pollution had no significant effect on the development rate, the length of the larval period, and the mortality of the larvae. However, we identified a significant effect on the size of animals, both during the larval period, and at metamorphosis. This result raises concern about the long-term risks to the amphibian population exposed to this type of low-profile pollution.

Article history: Received: 3 January 2023; Revised: 3 March 2023; Accepted: 24 May 2023; Available online: 30 June 2023.

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Published

2023-06-30

How to Cite

CRAIOVEANU, O. ., TESLOVAN, K. ., DAVID, A. ., & CRAIOVEANU, C. . (2023). A laboratory experimental assessment of the sensibility of Rana temporaria tadpoles to the effects of car traffic-associated seismic disturbances . Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Biologia, 68(1), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbbiol.2023.1.03

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