Developmental stability of the mink Mustela vison under the impact of PCB

Abstract

Females of the American mink Mustela vison Schreber, 1777 were fed on various fractions of comercial PCB. Developmental stability of their progeny was studied. Developmental stability was measured by the value of fluctuating asymmetry, and the frequency of phenodeviants of osteological and dermatoglyphic characters. All these measures proved to be significantly higher in the experimental intoxicated groups than in the control group, thus indicating deterioration of developmental stability from PCB.