Title | Compromised development and survival in amphibians in reclaimed wetlands' water containing oil sands process-affected material (PO) |
Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
Year of Publication | 2011 |
Authors | Smits, J., & Schock D. |
Publication Language | eng |
Keywords | amphibians, laboratory, toxicity, UofC, wetlands |
Abstract | When closing a mine, operators must comply with government regulations to ensure that the sites are ecologically sustainable to support endemic flora and fauna. Creating wetlands in order to age and detoxify oil sands process-affected materials (OSPM) is a common reclamation strategy. In this study, amphibians indigenous to the boreal forest ecosystem were examined to determine if they can complete their lifecycle in water from reclaimed wetlands. Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) eggs were collected from a natural pond 60 km south of an oil sand mining site. Tadpoles were raised in 1 of 6 water treatments refreshed every two days. The 2 reference water treatments included aged tap water and water from natural wetlands. The remaining 4 water treatments were from research wetlands on Syncrude and Suncor lease sites. Of the 120 tadpoles raised per water treatment, there was no significant difference in growth, development, or survival rates between the aged tap water and reference wetland water, but the fastest growth, development, and highest survival rates occurred in the two reference groups. There was a pronounced difference among the 4 treatment groups from Suncor and Syncrude reclamation sites. Survival was high in 3 of the water treatments from Syncrude and Suncor sites, but development rates were considerably reduced. Tadpoles that do not metamorphose before winter do not survive. It was therefore concluded that delayed development in tadpoles poses a serious risk to population stability in OSPM-containing wetlands. |
Notes | IN: Proceedings of the 37th Annual Aquatic Toxicity Workshop October 3-6, 2010 Toronto Ontario. Fletcher T. D. Holdway D. Simmons M. Dutton and L.E. Burridge (Eds). Fisheries and Oceans Canada St. Andrews New Brunswick. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries |
Locational Keywords | Alberta oil sands |
Group | OSEMB |
Citation Key | 51900 |