Catalina Gil

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gardiner, Jayne

Area of Concentration

Marine Biology

Abstract

Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide in agriculture and the second most commonly used in residential applications. In recent years, its use has extended to direct spraying in saltmarshes and estuaries to control invasive aquatic plants, potentially having a damaging effect to species of fish. Known effects on freshwater fish range from cellular damage to the gills and reduction in olfactory responses. However, the effects on marine species have not yet been examined. Common snook, Centropomus undecimalis, migrate between marine and freshwater environments throughout their life span, potentially being exposed to pollutants such as glyphosate. This study investigated the effects of glyphosate on odor detection in Centropomus undecimalis. Groups of C. undecimalis were exposed to 5mg/L of Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer Super for 4, 7 or 10 days. A separate group was not exposed to any concentration to serve as the control. The attraction to food odor was then examine. A decrease in attraction behavior was found between the control versus the exposed groups, but there were no differences among groups exposed to glyphosate for different amounts of time. This study implies a potential effect to the odor detection behavior in marine species after exposure to glyphosate-based herbicide.

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