M9 AM Ecotoxicology of Reptiles
Monday, 14 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in 339-340

(RED-1117-836762) Effects of in-ovo exposure to sodium perchlorate on growth, breeding success, and hormone levels of eastern fence lizards.

Redick-Harris, M¹, Talent, L¹, Janz, D², ¹ Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA² University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

ABSTRACT- This study examined the effects of long term in ovo perchlorate exposure on hatching success, growth, and reproduction of eastern fence lizards, . Eggs were collected from a laboratory population of fence lizards on the day of oviposition and incubated on perchlorate-spiked perlite at a constant temperature of 28 °C. Doses greater than 0.6 mg perchlorate/g incubation substrate delayed or inhibited the pipping response in fence lizards. After hatch, lizards were measured and weighed monthly for four months and then hibernated. No differences in growth rates were detected. After hibernation, lizards from the same exposure groups were paired for breeding. Although most pairs were able to produce a viable clutch, lizard pairs exposed to higher concentrations displayed a significantly higher reproductive output than control pairs. Two weeks after producing one clutch of eggs, lizards were sacrificed and blood was collected for hormone analysis. There were no detectible differences in thyroxine or estradiol levels in post breeding lizards.

Key words: perchlorate, reptile, life cycle, hormone