Centennial Honors College
Western Illinois University
Undergraduate Research Day 2012
Poster Presentation
Effects of Ammonia on Xenopus laevis Development
Charles Jacobsma and Courtney Cluney
Faculty Mentors: Timothy Spier and Laura Barden-Gabbei
Biology
Living in an agricultural community or a community with well-manicured lawns, run off
from fertilizers may become an issue by affecting the wildlife and water supply. Once
fertilizers break down, ammonia forms and enters the ground water. Excess ammonia
can have negative effects on aquatic ecosystems. Our project is examining the effect of
various ammonia concentrations on frog development. Amphibians are indicator
species that could potentially predict how changes in environment could affect the entire
ecosystem. These creatures are highly sensitive because they are aquatic and breathe
through their skin as well as lungs. Our project will use African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus
laevis) because they are readily available at all times of the year. Under the guidance of
Drs. Tim Spier and L. M. Barden-Gabbei, our team will utilize five 10-gallon fish tanks,
each set up in an identical fashion with dechlorinated tap water, an aerator, and a
heater to ensure a suitable environment for frog development. The experimental tanks
will have increasing concentrations of ammonia from 0.25 mg/L to 1.0 mg/L, increasing
in 0.25 mg/L increments. We will maintain the ammonia pH level and deionized,
dechlorinated water to replace evaporated water. To determine if ammonia
concentration has an effect on the development, we will track the number of mortalities
and deformities at each concentration as well as the rate of development.