Corticosterone release rates, water quality, microbiome, and mucosome data for analysis of Pseudacris ornata sites
Description
We measured environmental variables at multiple spatial scales and their effect on three physiological health metrics of ornate chorus frog (Pseudacris ornata) tadpoles to identify potential correlates of population declines. To accomplish this, we measured corticosterone (glucocorticoid hormone associated with the stress response in amphibians) release rates, as well as the skin mucosal immune function (combined function of skin secretions and skin microbial community) and microbial communities of tadpoles from multiple ponds. We found that water quality and land cover characteristics associated with environmental degradation, including increased water temperature, conductivity, TDS, pH, land cover, and development, as well as spatial variebles associated with longitude and latitiude, were associated with increased corticosterone release rates and changes in skin bacterial diversity. However, mucosal immune function, although highly variable, did not differ across these environmental factors.