Meeting Abstract
Trenbolone is a relatively new endocrine disrupting chemical that acts as a testosterone mimic, and is considered to be one of the most powerful anabolic steroids in use (Saaristo 2013). Trenbolone has three times the bonding affinity of testosterone and has a half-life of ¾ a year (Orlando 2004). With extensive usage in the beef cattle industry as a growth promoter, trenbolone has been found to appear in animal waste and runoff from cattle feed lots (Bartelt-Hunt 2012). Such a stable and potent molecule being released into the environment could potentially cause devastating effects on freshwater environments. As a potent androgen, trenbolone could increase masculine traits in freshwater species, and may disrupt reproductive processes. Here we explore the effects of ecologically relevant levels of trenbolone, as determined by sampling, on the freshwater fish species, Gambusia holbrooki. We elucidate influences on morphological, breeding, and behavioral characteristics in the fish and their subsequent offspring.
