Topic
Systems toxicology
Framing Question
How do toxicants affect an organism’s development and reproduction?
Learning Objectives
- Contrast the four reproductive endpoints: fertility, menstrual cycle, sperm count and viability, and sexual behavior.
- Contrast the primary developmental toxicological endpoints.
- Discuss the downstream effects that occur from exposure to an endocrine disrupting compound.
- Contrast the effects of environmental toxicants on R strategists versus K strategists.
- Describe, using examples, the role that toxicants can play in exerting selection pressures on populations.
- Describe, using examples, the role that toxicants can play in exerting selection pressures on populations.
- Discuss how toxicants can alter ecosystem structure in terms of effects on energy flow and the trophic pyramid.
- Explain the concept of residence times for toxicants in the environment and compare and contrast the ways in which toxicants move through soil, atmosphere, and water.
- Explain the concepts of bioavailability and bioconcentration.
- Discuss examples of typical species used in ecotoxicological single-species testing.
- Compare and contrast the strengths and limitations of the most common methods of ecotoxicological testing including microcosms, mesocosms, field studies, and mathematical modeling.
- Identify important concepts in ecotoxicological risk assessment.
