Essential Oils: Impact on Reproductive Timing and Health in Daphnia magna

Overview

Objectives Recent studies have shown that puberty is occurring earlier in both boys and girls for unknown reasons. Some studies suggest essential oils may disrupt the hormonal system, triggering early puberty. This project investigates whether essential oils affect the reproductive timing and fecundity in Daphnia magna. My hypothesis is that the Daphnia magna exposed to essential oils will reproduce earlier with normal brood sizes compared to the non-exposed Daphnia magna. Methods The tested Daphnia magna groups were: control, lavender, orchid and gardenia essential oils. Ten Daphnia magna were tested per group. One newborn Daphnia magna was placed in each container. On the 2nd day of life, a 1:500 diluted drop of essential oil was applied to each container of its respective group. Plankton served as food. Daily observations of each container were made to determine when offspring were born as well as the number produced. Secondarily, I noted how long each parent Daphnia lived. Results Essential Oil Age (days) of Daphnia Average number Lifespan (days) when 1st offspring born offspring born Control (no oil) 12.5 +/- 1.6 4.4 +/- 1.2 24.1 +/- 9.8 Lavender *9.7 +/- 1.9* *1.9 +/- 0.8* 23.9 +/- 7.6 Orchid 10.9 +/- 1.8 4.1 +/- 1.2 22.8 +/- 9.4 Gardenia 14.3 +/- 1.5 3.6 +/- 1.0 22.9 +/- 9.1 *statistically significant compared to controls Conclusions Compared to the controls, the parent Daphnia magna exposed to lavender oil produced offspring significantly earlier, but surprisingly with significantly less offspring. Therefore, my hypothesis was partially supported. Both the orchid and gardenia groups showed a trend toward significant difference in the timing of reproduction with delayed reproduction for the gardenia group. The data shows lavender oil predisposes Daphnia to early reproduction with a decreased brood size, which suggests some essential oils trigger early puberty and negatively impact future reproductive fertility.

Awards (1)

• First Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2019 Toxicology · Entry J2116

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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