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USGS · 1007926

Polychlorinated biphenyls and toxaphene in Pacific tree frog tadpoles ( Hyla regilla ) from the California Sierra Nevada, USA

Jeffrey E. Angermann·Gary M. Fellers·Fumio Matsumura
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Abstract

Pacific tree frog ( Hyla regilla ) tadpoles were collected throughout the Sierra Nevada mountain range, California, USA, in 1996 and 1997 and analyzed for the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and toxaphene. Whole-tadpole Σ PCB levels ranged from 244 ng/g (wet wt) at lower elevations on the western slope to 1.6 ng/g high on the eastern slope, whereas Σ toxaphene levels ranged from 15.6 to 1.5 ng/g. Linear regression of PCB and toxaphene residue levels versus elevation indicated a significant relationship, with an r 2 value of 0.33 for PCB and 0.45 for toxaphene indicating a significant elevation effect on PCB and toxaphene bioaccumulation in Sierra Nevada H. regilla. Tadpole samples from sites in east-facing versus west-facing drainage basins showed significant differences in PCB and toxaphene residue levels, suggesting the possibility of a rain-shadow effect in the long-range atmospheric transport of these contaminants to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

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Jeffrey E. Angermann, Gary M. Fellers, Fumio Matsumura. 2002-10-01. Polychlorinated biphenyls and toxaphene in Pacific tree frog tadpoles ( Hyla regilla ) from the California Sierra Nevada, USA. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620211027

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