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Tissue Distribution of Mercury in the Bodies of Wild American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from a Coastal Marsh in Louisiana (USA)

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Abstract

Total mercury (THg) concentrations were measured in wild alligators inhabiting a coastal marsh in southern Louisiana, to determine the tissue distribution of THg among various body organs and tissue compartments. Concentrations of THg in claws and dermal tail scutes were compared to those in blood, brain, gonad, heart, kidney, liver, and skeletal muscle to determine if the former tissues, commonly available by non-lethal sampling, could be used as measures of body burdens in various internal organs. Mercury was found in all body organs and tissue compartments. However, overall, THg concentrations measured in alligators were below the FDA action level for fish consumption and were comparable to previous data reported from southwestern Louisiana. Our results suggest consumption of meat from alligators found in this region may be of little public health concern. However, the extended period of time between sampling (in this study) and the present-day highlight the need for continuous, additional, and more recent sampling to ensure consumer safety. Total mercury concentrations were highest in the kidney (3.18 ± 0.69 mg/kg dw) and liver (3.12 ± 0.76 mg/kg dw). THg levels in non-lethal samples (blood, claws, and dermal tail scutes) were positively correlated with all tissue THg concentrations (blood: R2 = 0.513–0.988; claw: R2 = 0.347–0.637, scutes: R2 = 0.333–0.649). Because THg concentrations from blood, claws, and scutes were correlated with those of the internal organs, non-lethal sampling methods may be a viable method of estimating levels of THg in other body tissues.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Phillip Trosclair III and Julie Glenn for assistance in capturing and processing the alligators used in this study. We also thank Heather Brandt, Christopher Romanek, Lindy Paddock and our other colleagues at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory for assistance with data collection. This research was supported by a funding from the US Department of Energy through Cooperative Agreement number DE-FC09-07SR22506 with the University of Georgia Research Foundation.

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Author notes

  1. Charles H. Jagoe

    Present address: School of the Environment, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, FL, 32307, USA

  2. Liberty A. Moore, John W. Finger Jr., David L. Haskins have contributed equally to manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29801, USA

    Liberty A. Moore, Travis C. Glenn, Charles H. Jagoe & I. Lehr Brisbin Jr.

  2. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Liberty A. Moore & Steven B. Castleberry

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    John W. Finger Jr.

  4. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    David L. Haskins

  5. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Grand Chenier, LA, 70643, USA

    Ruth M. Elsey

  6. Department of Environmental Health Science, Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Travis C. Glenn

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Moore, L.A., Finger, J.W., Haskins, D.L. et al. Tissue Distribution of Mercury in the Bodies of Wild American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from a Coastal Marsh in Louisiana (USA). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 83, 13–20 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-022-00938-3

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