Salamander Tolerance of Acidity 
41 
Table 1. Acidity of 64 temporary ponds in the lower piedmont and coastal 
plain of east-central Virginia. Sample size (N) represents individual 
ponds having given pH values during early spring. 
pH 
N 
Ponds with egg masses 
Less than 4.0 
5 
1 
4.0 - 4.5 
11 
1 
4.5 - 5.0 
20 
3 
5.0 - 5.5 
24 
5 
5.5 - 6.0 
3 
2 
6.0 - 6.5 
1 
0 
Table 2. Percent mortality of spotted salamander eggs exposed to different 
aquatic media. Mortality rates are means ± one standard error; 
ranges of mortality are in parentheses. N is the number of tests, two 
egg masses per test. All egg masses were taken from a temporary pond 
in Chesterfield County, Virginia. 
Test 
N 
pH 
Mortality 
(%) 
Control (1984) 
9 
4.3 
- 4.7 
26.1 ± 13.5 
(12.9 - 50.9) 
Control (1985) 
3 
4.4 
- 4.5 
57.3 ± 14.6 
(45.5 - 69.0) 
Spring water 
4 
4.6 
- 4.7 
32.7 ± 9.7 
(17.3 - 43.3) 
H 2 S0 4 added 
8 
3.1 
- 4.0 
100 
HNO3 added 
6 
3.7 
- 4.0 
99.8* 
♦One larva survived at pH = 
4.0. 
Table 3. Mortality of spotted salamander eggs 
sulfate was added. Percent mortality is 
in media to which aluminum 
given as in Table 2. 
Aluminum 
N 
pH 
Mortality 
supplement 
(%) 
(ppm) 
0.05 
3 
4.3 
45.5 ± 7.3 
0.10 
3 
4.3 
57.0 ± 21.3 
0.23 
3 
4.2 
88.5 ± 7.9 
