Roger H. Sawyer , Department of Biological Sciences U sing the most powerful genetic screening techniques available, researchers are able to detect unusual levels of DNA alterations in wild alligators and copepods living in radioactively contaminated aquatic environments within the Savannah River Site. Distinguished two species of copepod genus Diaptomus females by mitochondrial cytochrome. Demonstrated that alligators from the SRS are unusual among eastern populations of alligators- most similar to western alligators rather than coastal South Carolina alligators. Directly measured mutation rates of microsatellite loci in alligators from reference populations.
Ponds are all different from each other making broad comparisons tenuous.
In general, populations at the Savannah River Site are more like one another than ponds offsite, with the exception of Pond 2. Pond 2 individuals are not significantly different in genetic composition than those of Snaggy Pond, although they do not resemble those of other offsite populations. Constrained analyses on Pond 2, Pond 4, and the hot arm of Par pond were made to confine variation within a lineage of drainage basins. Pond 2 shows differences from both Pond 4 and Par. Pond 4 and Par were not significantly different from one another.