Abstract
The effects of experimental conditionsβsteroid concentration, temperature, treatment duration, tadpole density, and delivery modeβon testosterone (T) metabolic rates were examined in larval anurans. T uptake into tadpoles was measured by scintillation counting of [^3^H]T and metabolism of T was studied by thin layer chromatography in two anuran species, the African clawed frog (Xenopus laeuis) and the western toad (Bufo boreas). T was extensively metabolized by both species, but the effects of each experimental condition on T metabolism varied between species. In the study of delivery mode, tadpoles injected with T dissolved in saline metabolized T faster than animals in groups where the steroid was added directly to the water. Animals injected with T dissolved in oil metabolized T the slowest, but T was shortβlived in all cases. The current study demonstrates that concentration, temperature, treatment duration, tadpole density, and delivery mode may all affect steroid metabolic rates, but these effects vary between species in unpredictable ways. Since steroid metabolism may either activate or deactivate steroids, these factors are important in understanding the potency of steroids in tadpoles. A review of the literature dealing with steroid effects in anuran larvae illustrates these problems. Β© 1995 WileyβLiss, Inc.