A Survey of DNA Damage in American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in Florida

The scientific concept of One Environmental Health is a research strategy focused on the study of toxicants, aiming to incorporate human, wildlife, and ecosystem health to establish a more comprehensive understanding of health. A One Environmental Health approach, studying the responses of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) that are considered apex sentinel organisms to environmental toxicants, is crucial. Due to their long-lived lifestyle on land and water, including a wide range of prey items in their diet and their ability to bioaccumulate metals, alligators serve as effective indicators of heavy metal pollution, which poses risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health. In this study, we examined DNA damage in American alligators from three locations in Florida using comet assay. We found alligators in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge had significantly higher DNA damage levels compared to those in Lake Apopka and Lake Woodruff. This trend was consistent across both sexes, with no observed sex differences. Similarly, DNA damage levels were significantly higher in both adult and juvenile alligators from Merritt Island compared to the other locations. Notably, juvenile alligators exhibited higher DNA damage than adults, with animals from Merritt Island exhibiting particularly elevated levels.