Walters Ashley D, Chamberlain Katie, Ford Neil B, Placyk John S
Department of Biology, University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd, Tyler, TX, 75799, USA.
Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2014 Jan;92(1):1-5. doi: 10.1007/s00128-013-1147-8. Epub 2013 Nov 1.
Atrazine is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the United States. Despite the effectiveness of atrazine in eliminating broadleaf and grassy weeds, there has been growing concern over the potential impacts this chemical may have on non-target organisms. Little research has been conducted on the exposure of reptiles to this chemical. Our study examined the effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of atrazine on the scalation of Marcy's checkered gartersnake (Thamnophis m. marcianus). Our results indicate that atrazine exposure influences scalation, in particular, cranial scale counts. In addition, this alteration of morphology happens during embryological development as the result of the environment the mother was raised in. Further research on additional species and developmental exposure of atrazine and how it influences fitness of reptiles is required.
阿特拉津是美国最常用的除草剂之一。尽管阿特拉津在消除阔叶杂草和禾本科杂草方面很有效，但人们越来越担心这种化学物质可能对非目标生物产生的潜在影响。关于爬行动物接触这种化学物质的研究很少。我们的研究考察了环境相关浓度的阿特拉津对玛西棋盘纹袜带蛇（Thamnophis m. marcianus）鳞片的影响。我们的结果表明，接触阿特拉津会影响鳞片，尤其是头部鳞片的数量。此外，这种形态变化发生在胚胎发育过程中，是母亲所处环境的结果。需要对更多物种以及阿特拉津的发育暴露情况及其如何影响爬行动物的适应性进行进一步研究。
