Date of Award

2005

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.Sc.

Department

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research

Keywords

Environmental Sciences.

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

In this thesis, chemical elimination studies were conducted in order to quantify chemical exposure dynamics in leopard frogs (Rana pipiens ) and green frogs (Rana clamitans) at various life stages. Two classes of hydrophobic organic chemicals were studied: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The focus of the first study (Chapter 2) was to determine whether the process of metamorphosis increased the chemical activity (fugacity) of PCBs within amphibians. Green frog tadpoles were dosed with a PCB mixture and allowed to eliminate the chemicals as they underwent metamorphosis. It was observed that the chemical activity of some of the highly hydrophobic PCBs within amphibian tissues increased by a factor of four. This result indicates that the physical changes that occur during metamorphosis increase the potential hazard of highly hydrophobic contaminants to amphibians. The goal of the second study (Chapter 3) was to quantify elimination kinetics of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in adult leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) and green frogs (Rana clamitans). Results show that adult anurans have very low elimination rates of PCBs, but that they exhibit a small capacity for metabolic biotransformation of PAHs. In the third study (Chapter 4), PCB elimination rates were used to show that green frogs (Rana clamitans) and leopard frogs ( Rana pipiens) at all life stages (tadpole, metamorph, and adult) are capable of metabolic biotransformation of PCBs. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-03, page: 1320. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2005.

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