Salamanders Learn to Live With Pollution

Steven P. Brady found that Salamanders can evolve fairly rapidly, in 10 to 20 generations, in response to the chemical runoff found in many roadside ponds. In New England, where Mr. Brady did his work, much of this runoff is from the salt used to break up ice and snow as well as chemicals thrown off by cars like gasoline and oil. Salamanders whose parents lived in these surroundings were 25 percent more likely to survive if they found themselves in a polluted pond than salamanders whose forebears had been used to cleaner water. Mr. Brady pointed out that some analogous data has been collected in fish populations, some of which are better able to process chemical compounds like PCB’s.