Laboratory study on microplastic fiber size and concentration effects on leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) tadpole survival, development, behavior, and parasite susceptibility

This dataset contains comprehensive raw data from a completed laboratory experiment conducted from May 24 to June 30, 2021 (with additional analysis performed in 2025), investigating the effects of polyester microplastic (MP) fiber exposure on northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) tadpoles and their interactions with echinostome trematodes (Echinostoma sp.). Tadpole egg masses were collected from a wetland in Indiana, USA, and ramshorn snails (Helisoma trivolvis), serving as trematode hosts, were collected from Tioga County, New York, USA. The experiment was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions using a static-renewal design, exposing tadpoles to short (~0.24 mm) or long (~1.50 mm) polyester MP fibers at concentrations of 0, 10, or 40 µg L⁻¹ for 32 days, followed by controlled exposure to echinostome cercariae. The dataset includes measurements of tadpole mortality, developmental traits (mass, snout-to-vent length, Gosner stage), behavioral activity (number of moving pre- and post-parasite exposure), MP fiber ingestion, and susceptibility to trematode infection (metacercarial cyst counts in kidneys).

These data provide a resource for studying the ecological and toxicological impacts of microplastics on amphibian health, and host-parasite dynamics in freshwater ecosystems, making the dataset suitable for researchers in ecotoxicology, and disease ecology. The dataset is complete, with no ongoing data collection, and is designed to support analyses of microplastic-mediated effects on aquatic organisms.