|
|
|
| Abstract Title:
|
| Hormonal Effects of Chemical Pollutant Mixes on Male Performance and Behavior
|
| Graduate Student Presenter:
|
Robert A. Miranda
|
| Name of the Author(s) and Affiliation(s):
|
Robert A. Miranda, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University; Kiisa C. Nishikawa, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University; Catherine R. Propper, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University
|
|
Many chemical pollutants persist in the environment and readily accumulate in body tissues. Environmental chemicals that interfere with normal hormone function, known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), can affect development, physiology, and behavior. Several of these compounds have been documented to specifically disrupt production and/or function of gonadal hormones. The non-mammalian neurohormone arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homologue, arginine vasopressin (AVP), have received relatively little attention in endocrine disruption research. Regulated by gonadal hormones, the sexually dimorphic AVT/AVP systems influence a variety of social and sexual behaviors across vertebrate groups. Vocal modulation is the most widely established behavioral role for AVT/AVP, as noted in several frog species, making these amphibians an excellent model system. This study tests the hypothesis that wastewater effluent, which contains complex mixes of EDCs, impact male performance and behavior. Male frogs (Xenopus tropicalis) will be exposed to wastewater from treatment facilities or salt-matched control water. Males will then be injected with AVT to induce calling behavior and paired with a receptive female. Using sound analysis software, vocalizations will be recorded, analyzed and compared between treatments. Paired frogs will also be observed to document and evaluate male courtship behaviors. Additionally, laryngeal structures of exposed and control males will be compared for morphological differences. Because of the well-documented estrogen-like influences of wastewater, vocalizations and courtship behavior of males exposed to EDC mixes are expected to be inhibited. Feminization of laryngeal structures is also expected in exposed males. Results from this study may have implications for the impacts of EDC exposure on social behavior and, more broadly, the effects of chemical pollution on endocrine health of wildlife and humans.
|
|
|
