Suburbanization, estrogen contamination, and sex ratio in wild amphibian populations

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
By: , and 

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Abstract

Research on endocrine disruption in frog populations, such as shifts in sex ratios and feminization of males, has predominantly focused on agricultural pesticides. Recent evidence suggests that suburban landscapes harbor amphibian populations exhibiting similar levels of endocrine disruption; however the endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) sources are unknown. Here, we show that sex ratios of metamorphosing frogs become increasingly female-dominated along a suburbanization gradient. We further show that suburban ponds are frequently contaminated by the classical estrogen estrone and a variety of EDCs produced by plants (phytoestrogens), and that the diversity of organic EDCs is correlated with the extent of developed land use and cultivated lawn and gardens around a pond. Our work also raises the possibility that trace-element contamination associated with human land use around suburban ponds may be contributing to the estrogenic load within suburban freshwaters and constitutes another source of estrogenic exposure for wildlife. These data suggest novel, unexplored pathways of EDC contamination in human-altered environments. In particular, we propose that vegetation changes associated with suburban neighborhoods (e.g., from forests to lawns and ornamental plants) increase the distribution of phytoestrogens in surface waters. The result of frog sex ratios varying as a function of human land use implicates a role for environmental modulation of sexual differentiation in amphibians, which are assumed to only have genetic sex determination. Overall, we show that endocrine disruption is widespread in suburban frog populations and that the causes are likely diverse.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Suburbanization, estrogen contamination, and sex ratio in wild amphibian populations
Series title Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1501065112
Volume 112
Issue 38
Year Published 2015
Language English
Publisher PNAS
Contributing office(s) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, National Research Program - Central Branch
Description 6 p.
First page 11881
Last page 11886
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