Estrogen in the Environment May be Changing the Gender of Frogs in Suburbia

It turns out that estrogen may be causing frogs to change in suburban areas. Scientists have found that estrogen is changing the ratio of male to female green frogs at nearby ponds.

In this latest study, the researchers looked at ponds with varying degrees of suburban neighborhood impact. On one end there were entirely forested ponds and at the other end of the spectrum were ponds that were heavily surrounded by suburbia. The sites included ponds linked to both septic systems and sewer lines.

"Our work shows that, for a frog, the suburbs are very similar to farms and sewage treatment plants," said Max Lambert, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Our study didn't look at the possible causes of this, partly because the potential relationship between lawns or ornamental plantings and endocrine disruption was unexpected."

The researchers found that in suburban ponds, the proportion of females born was almost twice that of frog populations in forested ponds. This, in particular, shows that pesticides and other chemicals are having a major impact on frog populations.

With that said, some plants commonly found in lawns, such as clovers, naturally produce phytoestrogens. The simple act of maintaining a lawn, in other words, may be one source of the contamination.

The findings also mean that there are possible implications for other species that use suburban ponds. These species include other amphibians, such as wood frogs, spring peepers, grey tree frogs, and salamanders, as well as birds, turtles and mammals.

The researchers are planning on continuing their research, and finding out how the suburbs influence sexual development in other species.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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