The Value of Simulated Pond Communities in Mesocosms for Studies of Amphibian Ecology and Ecotoxicology

We provide a review of literature concerning the use of artificial pond communities in static, outdoor, above-ground tanka (mesocosms) for ecological studies of amphibians. This approach has been widely used to evaluate the interaction of biotic variables, and less often biotic and abiotic variables. Although simulated pond communities offer unusually attractive properties for evaluating the effects of xenobiotics on aquatic ecosystems, this approach has received only limited attention as a potential model system for studying the effects of toxicants on amphibian communities. We provide a summary of results and experimental designs from past studies in order to illustrate the general protocols used and complex interactions between biotic and abiotic variables that can be simulated in artificial pond communities