Abstract:
:The phenomenon of endocrine disruption is currently a source of growing concern. Feminization of male fish in UK rivers has been shown to occur extensively and has been linked with exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds present in the environment. Much less is known of the extent and scale of endocrine disruption in estuarine and marine ecosystems, particularly in invertebrates. We present evidence that intersex, in the form of ovotestis, is occurring in the common estuarine bivalve Scrobicularia plana, which is considered to be inherently gonochoristic. We report varying degrees in the severity of ovotestis in male S. plana, and have adopted and developed a grading method to assess the extent of this intersex condition. These findings indicate that S. plana offers potential for widespread screening and investigation of endocrine disruption, helping to focus remediatory strategy.
journal_name
Biol Lettjournal_title
Biology lettersauthors
Chesman BS,Langston WJdoi
10.1098/rsbl.2006.0482subject
Has Abstractpub_date
2006-09-22 00:00:00pages
420-2issue
3eissn
1744-9561issn
1744-957Xpii
NG13K04760776006journal_volume
2pub_type
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