Publications by authors named "Ingunn Tjelta Hansen"
Environ Pollut
November 2017
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated how persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and various biological factors influence steroid hormone levels in male polar bears from Svalbard, Norway, analyzing 23 individuals for hormone and POP concentrations using advanced gas chromatography techniques.
- - It found that males synthesized sex steroids mainly through the Δ-4 pathway, with significant differences in androgen to estrogen ratios based on sexual maturity, showing adult males had much higher ratios than subadult males.
- - The research also revealed correlations where testosterone levels were positively associated with body condition, while dehydrotestosterone levels negatively correlated with POPs, suggesting these environmental contaminants and physiological factors could impact the polar bears' hormonal functions and reproductive health.
