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Female molluscs with penises? They have them in polluted waters |
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| Published in : Researching Written by Lorea Arakistain on 2009-01-12 10:59 |
 Imagine a female is born and goes on to develop a penis. Well, that is what has happened to many gastropod molluscs around us. And to all of them in the Oiartzun river estuary in Lezo.
The phenomenon that has occurred to them is called imposex and is caused by a specific type of pollution, by tributyl tin, in fact. Tributyl tin or TBT was a paint used at one time –when it was legal– to protect marine vessels from algae and marine organisms. Tecnalia has examined the effect of this paint on the coast of Gipuzkoa after analysing the imposex phenomenon. A test was carried out not only on the animals inhabiting the area, but also on the ones that had not been harmed: gastropods from an imposex-free area were introduced into the port of Pasaia for 75 days. In that time 39% of the females had developed a penis or vas deferens (ejaculatory duct).
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