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Burrowing in the freshwater mussel Elliptio complanata is sexually dimorphic and feminized by low levels of atrazine
- Source :
- Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A. 76(20)
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- The widely used herbicide atrazine (ATR) may have endocrine-associated adverse effects, including on behavior. In this study, 120 adult freshwater mussels, Elliptio complanata, were exposed to ATR at the environmentally-relevant concentrations of 1.5, 15, or 150 μg/L. Burrowing depth was evaluated hourly for 6 hr and at sacrifice animals were sexed by gonad smear. Female controls burrowed overall approximately 30% less than males, the first report of sexual dimorphism in this behavior. Atrazine at 15 μg/L feminized burrowing in both sexes in that exposed animals burrowed 20% less than their same sex controls. Males treated with 1.5 μg /L ATR displayed approximately 20-fold higher vitellogenin (VTG) levels than same sex controls. Higher concentrations of ATR were not associated with increasing effects. A scatterplot showed a weak binomial curve associating low burrowing with high VTG levels. Taken together, these data suggest a non-linear dose-response in behavioral and physiological feminization produced by ATR and support the need to reconsider the widespread use of this compound.
- Subjects :
- Male
Gonad
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Zoology
Fresh Water
Biology
Toxicology
Article
Vitellogenin
chemistry.chemical_compound
Vitellogenins
Sex Factors
medicine
Animals
Feminization
Atrazine
Gonads
Sex Characteristics
Behavior, Animal
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Herbicides
Elliptio
fungi
Mussel
Bivalvia
biology.organism_classification
Sexual dimorphism
medicine.anatomical_structure
chemistry
biology.protein
Female
Water Pollutants, Chemical
Sex characteristics
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15287394
- Volume :
- 76
- Issue :
- 20
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....03ac93d6a19d644eefa1f0c35afa3438