Ecogenotoxicology is the study of interactions between genetic material and DNA-damaging agents of anthropogenic origin in wild populations, in relation to subsequent effects on the health of organisms (Shugart and Theodorakis, 1994). Traditionally, biomarkers for genetic toxicology can be classified in “biomarkers of exposure” and “biomarkers of effect”, depending whether the aim is to monitor and quantify the exposure to genotoxicants, or to evaluate the biological response to the agents, ie, early effects (eg gene mutations, chromosome aberrations, micronuclei, sister chromatide exchanges, DNA damage by comet assay) potentially relevant for genetic and/or carcinogenic damage. In recent years, the impact of physical and chemicals contaminants on the integrity and functionality of DNA has been investigated in many animal species, in laboratory and field conditions, and many recent regulatory developments stress the relevance of detecting the impact of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic contaminants on wildlife species of different biological organization and in different ecological levels (eg Fuerhacker, 2009). Importantly, such investigations require a “crossfertilization” between genotoxicologists, usually more focused on a human health framework in order to identify and quantify the presence of genotoxic pollutants associated, and zoologists and evolutionary ecologists who usually start with a natural history approach in order to identify the effect or response to a pollutant and then the cause.

Ecogenotoxicology studies have two main goals:(i) to explore the impact of xenobiotics on wildlife and their consequences at individual, population, species and ecosystem levels;(ii) to provide the early signals of contamination, before it significantly impacts ecosystems and human health. In the latter case, the research is mainly aimed at pinpointing, testing and standardizing protocols on potential “sentinel organisms” that can be