Anthropogenic Effects on Natural Mammalian Populations: Correlation Between Telomere Length and Coal Exposure.

ABSTRACT: The Candiota coal mine in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is one of the largest in Brazil. Coal is a fossil fuel that causes environmental impacts from its extraction to combustion due to the release of different agents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals. Ctenomys torquatus are herbivorous and subterranean rodents that dig tunnels with their paws and teeth and can be exposed to coal through contaminated food. Exposure to pollutants can cause DNA damage and affect different tissues, inducing alterations in the population structure and genetic diversity. Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of exposure to coal and its derivatives on the C. torquatus population and to examine the relationship of coal exposure with variations in absolute telomere length (aTL), global DNA

SUBMITTER: Matzenbacher CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6474877 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature