Reproductive Disorders in Lake Apopka Alligators

        For several years now, scientists have been studying Lake Apopka and its alligator inhabitants. There have been several reports of reproductive disorders in juvenile alligators of Lake Apopka, believed to have been caused by pesticide spills and runoff. These spills have released contaminants into the water that have seemed to disrupt the endocrine systems of these juvenile alligators. Livers from 12 different juvenile female alligators were taken and tested to further expand this study. Contaminants have been found in both the water of the lake, and in the livers of these alligators. 

     Another study was done on Lake Apopka Alligators to further expand this hypothesis. This specific study was used to figure out whether or not bone tissue is a potential target for endocrine system disruptors, such as these water contaminants. Bones from 16 different female juvenile alligators from Lake Apopka and a surrounding control lake were taken and studied, and there were found to be significant differences between the control lake and Lake Apopka. It seems as though the contaminants in Lake Apopka have caused the bones in these alligators to actually become more dense. 

Alligator Hatchling from Lake Apopka, Florida 

Sources:
Jimmy K. Avants, et al. "Persistent Organochlorine Pesticides And Their Metabolites In Alligator Livers From Lakes Apopka And Woodruff, Florida, USA." International Journal Of Environmental Analytical Chemistry 90.2 (2010): 159-170. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Oct. 2012.

Louis J. Guillette Jr., et al. "Abnormal Bone Composition In Female Juvenile American Alligators From A Pesticide-Polluted Lake (Lake Apopka, Florida)." Environmental Health Perspectives 112.3 (2004): 359-362. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 Oct. 2012.