Date of Award

Spring 8-14-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Nicholas J Troendle

Abstract

Increases in metabolic disorders, fertility issues, and population numbers have led researchers to begin investigations into pesticides for the likelihood that their introduction into the agricultural industry as well as the permeation of these chemicals into natural habitats has been a contributing factor to the prevalence of these issues. Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) has been one of the dominant prospective chemicals for investigation for its prevalence and infiltration into both food products as well as within environmental reservoirs. As the research into whether these pesticide breakdown products have the potential to act as metabolic inhibitors or hormonal disruptors further research is needed. P. reticulata is a live-bearing fish model, making it ideal for research of this nature. P. reticulata live-bearing reproduction allows for the investigation into both short-term direct contact study as well as generational permeation of the fish, this being researching the capability to impact the fish bred by mothers exposed to the chemicals but not themselves directly. This may also give insight into mammalian models such as humans as the live-bearing model closely mimics the reproduction of mammalians. Using the P. reticulata model we developed methods for researching the impact of food spiked with the AMPA on the fertility of the mothers. Spiking the food directly better models the infiltration and accumulation of the AMPA within the trophic system of the aquatic environments. In addition to these preliminary runs, we developed methods for further runs as well as new testing parameters for further quantification of the impact of the AMPA on the fish’s fertility. Keywords: Aminomethylphosphonic acid, P. reticulata, fertility, live-bearing fish, hormonal disruptors, metabolic inhibitors.

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