The Effects of Dietary Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Exposure and Rearing Temperature on Tadpole Growth, Development, and Their Underlying Processes

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry 2021-11, Vol.40 (11), p.3181-3192
• Main Authors: Yahn, Jeremiah M., Karasov, William H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amphibian; Amphibians; Animals; Body composition; Body length; Climate warming; Dietary Exposure; Digestibility; Diphenyl ether; Dry matter; Energetics; Energy budget; Energy demand; Environmental changes; Ethers; Exposure; Feeding rates; Food; Food composition; Food intake; Growth rate; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis; Juveniles; Larva; Lithobates pipiens; Mammals; Oxygen consumption; Pollutants; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Rana pipiens; Temperature
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.5207

Depression of growth rate due to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) has been documented in birds, mammals, amphibians, and fish at single temperatures. However, the underlying energetic mechanism for this effect and how it might change in relation to changing environmental temperature remain unstudied. We used a simple energy budget to address hypotheses regarding effects of PBDEs on tadpole (Lithobates pipiens) growth: that reductions in growth are linked to increased respiratory costs, reductions in digestive performance, differences in body composition, reductions in food intake, or a combination of these factors. From 18 days postfertilization (dpf) until 42 dpf, tadpoles were exposed dietarily to a pentabromodiphenyl ether mixture (DE‐71TM) at a concentration of 100 ng DE‐71/g wet mass under a rearing temperature of either 22 or 27 °C. After 20 days of PBDE exposure, total PBDEs in tadpoles averaged 148.4 ng/g wet mass, with no differences by rearing temperature and approximately 50% higher than in their diet; controls not fed PBDE had levels