Sensitivity to disruption of sexual differentiation of life-stages of the male mosquitofish, Gamubusia holbrooki, exposed to the the reproductive endocrine disrupting (RED) hormone, estradiol.

Project Member(s): Lim, R.

Start year: 2001

Summary: Reproductive endocrine disrupting compounds (REDs) such as mammalian hormones, pesticides, dioxins and certain metals, released into the environment has been linked to disrupting repoductive activity in wildlife. These include feminisation of male fish, masculinization of female snails with the growth of penises, and egg shell thinning in birds. Domestic and industrial sewage are the main source of REDs in the aquatic environment. Although rivers are the repository of sewage effluent, little is known of their impacts on the aquatic biota in Australia. This project proposal seeks to determine the life-stage of the mosquitofish most sensitive to the model RED, estradiol. In doing so an assessment to determine the best response endpoints will also be carried out. The findings will contribute to improving the use of the mosquitofish as a model test organism for assessing the effects of REDs.