Reproductive Histology
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Amphibians have extremely diverse reproductive strategies. Differentiation can also be confusing depending on the race or in some situations the population. Anurans undergo three different routes of differentiation; differentiated, semi-differentiated, and undifferentiated races. The races are determined by the development of the gonad at metamorphosis. Our lab has looked at the sexual differentiation of three different species Bufo americanus, Rana sylvatica, and Rana pipiens. These semi-differentiated gonads are a natural transition from female to male, and should not be confused with the gonadal abnormalities seen in what we classify as "intersex".
Bufo americanus are very small (<10 mm) at metamorphosis. The gonads are undifferentiated and contain a very well developed bidder's organ (a vestigial ovary). It was hoped that the gonads would be able to be analysed for effects of pesticides however, using a light microscope (40X objective lense) we were not able to notice enough detail for a proper comparison.
Last updated: November 8, 2002