Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date

Spring 2020

Academic Department

Biology

Faculty Advisor(s)

Dr. Diane Bridge

Abstract

Atrazine is a commercially available herbicide with known effects on the hormone levels in frogs and several other organisms. This effect has not been significantly studied in invertebrates, even though observing invertebrate levels represent a very common assay the health of a freshwater ecosystem. To study the effects of atrazine in invertebrates, hydra were subjected to environmental (10 μg/L) and high (400 μg/L) concentrations of atrazine and observed for changes in fertility and reproduction over a period of four weeks. No significant changes in fertility or reproduction were found at high concentrations, and environmental concentration testing is currently in progress, Hydra bearing a symbiosis with chlorella algae demonstrated a significant loss of algae in their cells at high concentrations, and environmental concentration testing is currently in progress. The findings currently indicate that atrazine does not have immediate adverse effects on hydra, although atrazine is dangerous to the plant life that the hydra may interact with.

Notes

BIO492G Research in Biology, Honors in the Discipline

Included in

Biology Commons

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