Assessing if Herbicides and Pesticides Cause Facial Tumors on Tasmanian Devils
Caitlin Behne, Zhuo Qi Chen, Aditya Pillutla, & Addison Rosenbaum
September 21, 2018
Scientific Research and Design Period 1
Introduction
Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are small carnivorous marsupials that currently live on the island south of Australia name Tasmania. Tasmanian devils are small, but compact animals built for fighting. They weigh in around 9 to 26 pounds and grow to be as long as 20 to 31 inches (Bradford 2014). While the small size of Tasmanian devils may be deceiving, they are very aggressive animals that possesses one of the world’s most powerful bites because of its muscular jaw.
Tasmanian devils appear to be an unstoppable animal, but they are currently in danger of dying off. Currently, Tasmanian devils have been developing cancer tumors on their face in regions close and inside their mouths. Unfortunately for the Tasmanian devils, the cancer is not only deadly, but also transmissible (Transmissible Cancer Group, 2016). The issue is, what is causing the cancerous facial tumors to develop on the Tasmanian devils.
On the island of Tasmania, farmers spray their crops with herbicides and pesticides to protect them from being eaten by the wild life. The problem is, the herbicides and pesticides contain harmful chemicals like: glyphosate, organochlorine, and forms of insecticides. Tasmanian devils are carnivorous, meaning that they eat animals, which in this case are consuming the chemicals on the crops. The question is, do Tasmanian devils develop tumors due to exposure and consumption of Australian herbicides and pesticides?
The developed hypothesis is: Tasmanian devils develop tumors because they are exposed to herbicides and pesticides when they scavenge or eat animals that have consumed plants that had been previously sprayed with the chemicals. The independent variable that would be tested in this situation is the Tasmanian devils’ exposure to Australian herbicides and pesticides. The dependent variable in this case scenario is the number of tumor the Tasmanian devils develop.
Methods
Animal handling gloves will be utilized when touching the Tasmanian devils to prevent injuries toward the Tasmanian devils and scientists. When experimenting with herbicides and pesticides; aprons, breathing masks, gloves, and goggles will be used to protect the scientists from the toxic effects the chemicals have on humans.
Materials:
Herbicides and Pesticides used in Australian agriculture
Sixty Tasmanian devils (Thirty male and thirty female)
Eight Chemical spray canisters
Birds, snakes, fish, insects, and carcasses
Two thousand feet of habitat fencing
Eight pairs of animal handling gloves
Sixty animal tagging devices
Procedures:
Construct two habitats with 1,000 feet of fencing each, according to instructions provided.
Thirty female and thirty male Tasmanian devils ranging in age will be tagged with animal tagging devices by the scientists wearing animal handling gloves. The scientists will then take the Tasmanian devils and placed in their designated enclosure. Inside the separate enclosures will be foods from a Tasmanian devils typical diet including; birds, snakes, fish, and insects. The enclosures will be placed in Australia to provide the Tasmanian devil’s natural living environment.
Three groups of ten Tasmanian devils, five male and five female in each group, will be placed in separate enclosures that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. These will act as the control group.
Another three groups of ten Tasmanian devils, five male and five female in each group, will be placed in separate enclosures that have been exposed to the herbicides and pesticides that had been sprayed by the scientist in the chemical spray canisters. The chemicals used will be chemicals currently used in Australian agriculture.
The Tasmanian devils will be left in their separate habitats for three months to allow any facial tumors to fully develop and grow.
After the thirteen week time period is over, the Tasmanian devils will be removed from their habitats and taken to one of two labs; one for those exposed to the herbicides and pesticides, and one for those that were not exposed to the chemicals.
In the laboratories, the scientists will determine how many facial tumors both groups of Tasmanian devils have developed.
After recording all of the facial tumors developed in groups of the two different locations, the scientists will then put all of the data together and analyze their findings.
The scientists will calculate the average number of tumors developed in each group, and chart the data on a bar graph.
After collecting, recording, and charting the data, the scientists will determine the effects of herbicides and pesticides on Tasmanian devils.
Results
To collect the results of the experiment, the scientists will bring the tested Tasmanian devils to a laboratory and separate them into their tested groups. In each group, the scientists will record the number of facial tumors, if any, developed in total. The scientists will then graph the data onto a bar graph, giving each individually tested group their own bar to represent the number of facial tumors developed. The scientists will also calculate the average number of tumors, if any, that developed in the control group and the group of Tasmanian devils that was exposed to the chemicals. Each group will have a bar created for them. To analyze the data and evaluate our hypothesis, we will review the results of the bar graph and determine which group, if any, was more prone to facial tumor development.
References
Bradford, A. (2014, October 23). Facts About Tasmanian Devils. Retrieved September 16, 2018,
from https://www.livescience.com/27440-tasmanian-devils.html
Tasmanian devils (Genus: Sarcophilus), a nocturnal Australian marsupial of the animalia kingdom, is an aggressive creature with an endangered status primarily as a result of a cancer known as devil facial tumor disease (DFTF). At an average size of between twenty to thirty one inches, and weighing between nine and twenty six pounds, Tasmanian devils are not very big but have an extremely aggressive nature. The diet of an average devil is primarily carnivorous, but many of the offspring suffer malnourishment from a lack of food. Since 2001, the overall Tasmanian devil population has declined 60%. The steps being taken to preserve the devils is the “Save the Tasmanian devil Program” initiated by the Australian Government to save the devils and find a cure for DFTF.
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (Tasmania) (8/05/2018 2:12
PM). Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Retrieved September 16, 2018, from
https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/save-the-tasmanian-devil-program
This website, of Tasmania’s Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, is dedicated to preventing the extinction of Tasmanian devils. They have a team of scientists working to create a sustainable population of Tasmanian devils to help them overcome Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). The governments of Australia and Tasmania started a program called STDP in 2003 for this purpose.
Impacts of Pesticides on Wildlife. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2018, from
https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/wildlife
This webpage explains the impact of pesticides on the environment and wildlife. Pesticides affect wildlife in urban, suburban, and rural areas. This organization, Beyond Pesticides, define wildlife as animals not domesticated or in labs. Pesticides can affect these wild animals through pesticide drift, secondary poisoning, runoff, or groundwater contamination. This website also discusses the effects of the pesticides on wildlife as well as the economic impacts of pesticides on them. Losses to biodiversity are estimated at about billions of dollars annually. U.S. citizens spend more than 60 dollars on observing wildlife, and the aim of this organization is to protect them.
Pye, R. J., Woods, G. M., & Kreiss, A. (2015). Devil Facial Tumor Disease. Veterinary
Pathology,53(4), 726-736. doi:10.1177/0300985815616444
A disease known as DFTD has been to affecting Tasmanian devils for the past decade. The disease has mainly affected Tasmanian devils in the north, central, and east of Tasmania, an island located to the southeast of Australia. There are multiple forms of this disease, but none have a known cure. Scientists now speculate that human cancer treatments, like radiation, could be cured to the Tasmanian devils of their tumors.
Transmissible Cancer Group (March 7, 2016). Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD).
Retrieved September 16, 2018, from https://www.tcg.vet.cam.ac.uk/about/DFTD
Tasmanian devils are found on the Australian island of Tasmania. They are the world’s
largest living carnivorous marsupial. The devils are being affected by an uprising of
cancerous tumors. Tasmanian Facial Tumor Disease is a transmissible disease spread
throughout the Tasmanian devil population. Two forms of this cancer have been discovered in the Tasmanian Devil population. DFTD was first discovered in 1996 and has been studied more frequently over the past few years. The disease is spread through the Tasmanian devils biting each other, and as of right now there is no cure. It is suspected that human radiation can be used on the devils to cure them of their tumors.