While many pollutants are detrimental to wildlife health by poisoning individuals that are exposed, many
other compounds have cryptic deleterious effects at the population and community level. Anthropogenic
steroid hormone mimics, called endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), bias the development of the
reproductive tract and can lead to sex ratio biases or reduce viability either by exerting estrogenic, anti-
androgenic, androgenic, or anti-estrogenic effects. This student would work with Dr. Chris Murray and Dr.
April Wright to generate a model that uses life history strategies, endogenous physiological traits, and
exposure risk assessment to predict population-level impacts of EDCs on crocodilian model populations
over time. The model will serve to predict sex ratio, population size, and genetic diversity over time and
will bet tested using real data from American crocodiles exposed to androgens and alligators exposed to
anti-androgens.

Direct questions to cmurray@selu.edu