Environmental and Comparative Endocrinology Laboratory Ramaley N368 Department of Integrative Physiology University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80309-0354 phone: 303-492-8379

Research Interests

• Neuroendocrine (brain, pituitary) control of thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive functions of fishes and amphibians with special interest in the role of enrivonmental factors (natural and anthropogneic) that alter the activities of these systems during development, sexual maturation, reproduction, and aging.


• Recent studies in the laboratory have focused on aging in the salmon brain, metamorphosis in amphibians, sex-changes in fishes, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals on amphibian development and sexual differentiation, trout stress responses, and fish sexual differentiation and reproduction.


• Studies are also performed in forensic biology, including research on identification of plant and food materials in gastric, intestinal, and fecal samples from homocide victims and related forensic uses of plants.

Personnel

• Laboratory Director: David O. Norris, Ph.D.


• Faculty: Jane H. Bock, Ph.D., Richard E. Jones, Ph.D.


• Research Associates:


• Graduate Students:


• Undergraduate Students:

(Standing, L to R): Laura Carruth, Greta Rosen, Richard Jones, John Woodling. (Kneeling) Tammy Maldonado, Sarah Donehower, David Norris, Harriet Austin

Current Research Projects

• Stress and aging in the brain of kokanee salmon.


• Cortisol and brain changes leading to death following breeding in a marsupial mouse.


• Methoprene insecticide and development in salamanders.


• Dioxin and its interactions with steroid on development of amphibian gonoducts.


• Xenoestrogens and hermaphroditism in fishes associated with sewage effluents


• Neuroendocrine aspects of metamorphosis and sexual maturation in tiger salamanders.

Recent Publications

• Brinkman S, Woodling JD, Vajda AM, Norris DO. Chronic toxicity of ammonia to early life-stage rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138: 433-440, 2009


• Linenfelser B, Norris DO, Vajda A. Estrogenic chemicals in wastewater and their effects on fish reproduction. Rumbles 48, 23-26.


• McGee MR, Julius ML, Vajda AM, Norris DO, Barber LB, Schoenfuss, HL.   Predator avoidance performance of larval fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) following short-term exposure to estrogen mixtures. Aquatic Toxicology 91: 355-361, 2009.


• Norris, DO and Vajda, AM. 2007. Endocrine active chemicals (EACs) in wastewater: Effects on health of wildlife and humans. Impact 9: 15-16, 2009.


• Vajda AM, Barber LB, Gray JL, Lopez EM, Woodling JD, Norris DO. Intersex and other forms of reproductive disruption in white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) downstream of a wastewater treatment plant effluent. Environmental Science and Technology  42, 3407-3414, 2008.

Funding