Brown-covered spawn

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In a reed-filled pond in the open field near the office where I work in Durham City (UK) there's some bundles of fresh-looking, clear frogspawn whose nuclei are still spherical, about 1mm across, and the cells about 8mm, clumped closely together.
But there's also some older-looking spawn on the other side of the pond, whose cells are about the same size but not so tightly bound in their clump and whose surface is covered with a mud-coloured film - almost like a mould. I can't see the nuclei within at all clearly.
Is this some from last year that never developed, or from a different species, or has it been attacked by something?

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Spud Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1	Post Options Post Reply Quote Spud Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Brown-covered spawn Posted: 12 Apr 2006 at 5:15am
	In a reed-filled pond in the open field near the office where I work in Durham City (UK) there's some bundles of fresh-looking, clear frogspawn whose nuclei are still spherical, about 1mm across, and the cells about 8mm, clumped closely together. But there's also some older-looking spawn on the other side of the pond, whose cells are about the same size but not so tightly bound in their clump and whose surface is covered with a mud-coloured film - almost like a mould. I can't see the nuclei within at all clearly. Is this some from last year that never developed, or from a different species, or has it been attacked by something?

Dan Kane Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 30 Dec 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 198	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dan Kane Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 12 Apr 2006 at 5:41am
	Spud, The frogspawn isn't of a different species. Some of the frogspawn near where I live in west Cumbria (nuclei about 3mm across, with small tails) has the brown stuff on it, and some of it at the edges has detached and sunk to the bottom of the pond. I think it's just pond-type-weed or alge growing on them, but for what it's worth, I dont think it'll develop properly when it's coverd in the stuff.