The effects of pesticides on the common leopard frog, \u3ci\u3eRana pipiens\u3c/i\u3e: A hematological study

Deformed frogs are appearing frequently in the wild. Speculations of the cause of deformities are pesticides, chemicals, viruses, parasites, and ultra-violet light. I am examining the blood for chromosome fragments, micronuclei, which result in a loss of genetic material during replication and could produce deformities. Some studies on amphibians show that organisms exposed to various chemicals have a higher incidence of micronuclei than organisms without chemical exposure. By studying the blood of the common leopard frog tadpoles, Rana pipiens, exposed to the herbicide atrazine I attempted to discover if atrazine significantly alters the number of micronuclei in the red blood cells. The results of the micronuclei counts show no significant difference overall but their are some changes in specific organisms which indicate a hematological response to the exposure of the chemical. White blood cell counts, which were done with each animal also showed significant results