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Ozone exposure affects feeding and locomotor behavior of adult Bufo marinus
Author(s) -
Dohm Michael R.,
Mautz William J.,
Doratt Rogelio E.,
Stevens Julien R.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1897/07-388.1
Subject(s) - toad , bufo marinus , biology , zoology , bufo , toxicology , amphibian , ecotoxicology , ecology
Ozone (O 3 ), a reactive component of air pollution, depresses feeding and voluntary locomotor behavior in laboratory rodents, but the effects of O 3 on amphibian behavior are not known. We evaluated the effects of 4 h of exposure to air or ozone (0.6 μl/L), on two ecologically relevant behaviors of the toad Bufo marinus. Toads were offered five mealworms at 1, 24, and 48 h after exposure. One hour after exposure, O 3 ‐exposed toads ate fewer mealworms than did air‐exposed toads (Fisher exact test, p = 0.005). Within 24 h after exposure, all toads ate four or five mealworms. Because movement is a key component of toad feeding behavior, we tested additional toads ( n = 25) for voluntary locomotor behavior during three 1‐h trials in a 2.9‐m 2 open‐field arena. Mean (± standard deviation) total distance moved was: pre‐exposure, 29 ± 19.5 m; 1‐h postexposure, 13 ± 15.6 m; and 24‐h postexposure, 17 ± 17.4 m. The means were not statistically different by repeated measures analysis of covariance. Therefore, our results suggest that a single 4‐h exposure to O 3 depresses toad feeding behavior after exposure but had little effect on voluntary locomotor behavior.