Meeting Abstract

P2.50  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Does atrazine exposure induce hermaphroditism in American toads (Bufo americanus)? HOSKINS, T.D.*; O’BRIEN, S.; HESS, C.M.; Butler University; Marian University; Butler University thoskins@butler.edu

Atrazine is the most commonly used herbicide in the United States and is largely used worldwide. Previous research has shown atrazine to act as an endocrine disruptor, influencing abnormal gonadal development, hermaphroditism, and oocyte formation in male amphibians. These studies have focused primarily on aquatic frogs (such as those of the genera Rana and Xenopus); however, more terrestrial species, such as toads, have not been examined. We exposed wild-caught American toads (Bufo americanus) to ecologically relevant doses of 0, 0.1, 1, and 25 ppb atrazine throughout the larval period. Preliminary findings indicate that atrazine exposure may signficantly affect mass at metamorphosis, a characteristic that has not been previously correlated to atrazine exposure. Upcoming histological examinations of preserved gonads and brain tissues will indicate more thoroughly the morphological effects of atrazine as an endocrine disruptor in the primarily terrestrial amphibian, B. americanus.