Problem
Answer the questions below in essay format for either the study by Hayes et al. (endocrine disruption in amphibians) OR the study by Paulos et al. (endocrine disruption in fish). All of your answers should relate to just one study, not both. Each of the three questions below should require no more than three sentences to answer; please number your answers.
A. Describe the endocrine disruptor (ED) studied including how it is used by humans and how animals could be exposed to it in their natural environment.
B. Describe the effects of the ED on a) sexually dimorphic structures, b) steroid hormone concentrations and c) fecundity (sperm, egg or offspring production). If fecundity was not measured in the study you've selected, explain based on data that were collected, how the ED might ultimately reduce the production of offspring.
C. What did the authors conclude was the mechanism for the observed effects of the ED compound? In other words, at what level was the ED compound acting or how was it interfering with normal endocrine function?