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Effects of Environmental Contaminants at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Anuran Development, Gonadal Histology, and Reproductive Steroidogenesis: A Comparison of In Situ and Laboratory Exposures

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Abstract

Previous monitoring at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Newington, New Hampshire documented high prevalence of amphibian malformations at sites contaminated with potential endocrine active compounds. In the present study, a combination of in situ and laboratory experiments were used to determine whether contaminants present in the sites affect amphibian growth and reproductive development. Wood frog (Rana sylvatica) tadpoles were exposed in situ at four sites (Ferry Way, Beaver Pond, Lower Peverly, and Stubbs Pond) at Great Bay NWR and northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) tadpoles were exposed in the lab to sediments collected from three sites (Beaver Pond, Ferry Way, Stubbs Pond) at Great Bay NWR as well as a positive (estradiol) and negative control. High mortality was observed at Stubbs Pond and extended larval period at Beaver Pond in the in situ exposure. Only three malformations were noted in the lab experiment, whereas there was a 63% prevalence of rounded femurs in Beaver Pond metamorphs in the in situ exposure. Only 2.4% (5 of 207) of R. sylvatica metamorphs exhibited abnormal reproductive development, whereas intersex metamorphs occurred in treatments and controls in the lab experiment at rates as high as 26%. Reproductive development was more advanced and estradiol to androgen ratios reduced in male metamorphs from Beaver Pond in both the in situ and lab exposures. DDT, PCBs, and PAHs were detected in sediments at Great Bay NWR at concentrations that exceed regulatory or guidance values, with concentrations of PAHs being highest at Lower Peverly Pond and DDT highest at Stubbs Pond. The effects on anuran development may be attributable to the primary contaminants—DDT and PCBs—acting on the thyroid and gonadal axes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge and thank L. Dow and D. Adams for assistance with animal husbandry and S. Kavanaugh, L. Dow, and L. Plagge for assistance with data collection. All procedures were reviewed and approved by the University’s Animal Care and Use Committee. This research was supported by a grant (U 91616201) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) fellowship program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA

    Emily May Lent & Kimberly J. Babbitt

  2. Chesapeake Bay Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Annapolis, MD, USA

    Alfred E. Pinkney

  3. US Army Public Health Center, MCHB-PH-TEV, 8252 Blackhawk Road, E-5158, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, 21010, USA

    Emily May Lent

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  1. Emily May Lent
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by EML. The first draft of the manuscript was written by EML and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Emily May Lent.

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Disclaimer Although the research described in the article was funded wholly or in part by the US EPA, it has not been subjected to any US EPA review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Department of Defense, Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the U.S. Government.

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Lent, E.M., Babbitt, K.J. & Pinkney, A.E. Effects of Environmental Contaminants at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Anuran Development, Gonadal Histology, and Reproductive Steroidogenesis: A Comparison of In Situ and Laboratory Exposures. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 80, 663–679 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-020-00741-y

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