Tadpoles

[mistique]

Hello all,

I just started doing Year 12 biology at school, but I'm already stuck with a question which I can't find answers for in the text book.

- Explain why tadpoles living in a puddle of water may die well before the water has completely dried up.
have searched everywhere but haven't found any specific answers. Could anyone help me with it?

Thanks

[Dr.Stein]

~90% of their body is water and they are developing organism, which need more than 20 stages to become a stable organism, means that they are in the critical period to adapt to new environment.

[Vagabond]

depending on the volume of water one could think that the tadpole might be able to use up all the oxygen in the small pool of water prior to it developing lungs. Tadpoles have gills while frogs have lungs.

[Darby]

Along with the answers already given, there could be a buildup of tadpole wastes (mostly ammonia), or the osmolarity of the puddle may change enough to affect them. Temperature fluctuations could do it, too.