Abstract:A 6 year study of Scots pine populations inhabiting sites in the Bryansk region of Russia radioactively contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl accident is presented. In six study sites, (137)Cs activity concentrations and heavy metal content in soils, as well as (137)Cs, (90)Sr and heavy metal concentrations in cones were measured. Doses absorbed in reproduction organs of pine trees were calculated using a dosimetric model. The maximum annual dose absorbed at the most contaminated site was about 130 mGy. Oc… Show more
“…The results obtained confirm that both radionuclides could impact necrosis appearance, but 137 Cs is supposed to be more significant. This is in line with our previous estimates that β-radiation contributed only 0.4-9.3% to the total dose at the study sites (Geras'kin et al, 2011).…”
Section: Necrotic Needlessupporting
confidence: 93%
“…The study sites are similar in soil properties, the stands of trees are homogeneous, and pine trees as an edificator species take up a significant part of the phytocenosis. The heavy metal contents in soils and cones are within background levels (Geras'kin et al, 2011). There were two reference populations (Ref and Ref1).…”
Section: Study Sitesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Monitoring of exposure dose rates and radionuclide activity concentrations in soils and pine cones at the study sites has been provided annually since 2003. Detailed information on the radioactive contamination of the study sites can be found in (Geras'kin et al, 2011). Table 1 gives general information about the main radionuclide activities in soils and cones as well as the dose and dose rate levels at the study sites (Spiridonov et al, 2008).…”
Section: Study Sitesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Studies of the effects of radiation exposure on Scots pine populations in the initial period after the Chernobyl accident revealed death of sprouts, dying needles, reduced reproductive capacity, chromosomal aberrations and mutations in enzyme loci (Kozubov and Taskaev, 2002;Fedotov et al, 2006). In the remote period, an increased mutational and cytogenetic variability in chronically irradiated pines was shown to be significantly associated with the levels of radiation exposure (Geras'kin et al, 2011;Geras'kin and Volkova, 2014). Nevertheless, any stable effects on productivity, seed survival or adaptive capacity were not identified (Geras'kin et al, 2011).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 98%
“…In the remote period, an increased mutational and cytogenetic variability in chronically irradiated pines was shown to be significantly associated with the levels of radiation exposure (Geras'kin et al, 2011;Geras'kin and Volkova, 2014). Nevertheless, any stable effects on productivity, seed survival or adaptive capacity were not identified (Geras'kin et al, 2011). Moreover, information on makarenko_ek_obninsk@mail.ru the possible alterations in morphometric traits of pine trees in the contaminated territories in the remote period after the accident is virtually absent.…”
-Biological effects in Scots pine populations experiencing chronic radiation exposure at doses up to 130 mGy per year as a result of the Chernobyl accident were studied in 2011 and 2013, using needle indices as endpoints. No relationships between the length, the mass of needles and the asymmetry in weight of paired needles and radiation exposure were revealed. The frequency of necrotic needles increases with the level of radiation exposure; however, the significance of these effects in different years was different. The index of fluctuating asymmetry in needle length significantly increases at annual doses of 90 and 130 mGy and correlates with the absorbed dose as well as 137 Cs and 90 Sr radionuclide activities in soils and cones at the study sites. The findings obtained are consistent with an international recommendation to consider radiation exposure of 100 mGy.y −1 as a margin for biota safety in chronic irradiation.
“…The results obtained confirm that both radionuclides could impact necrosis appearance, but 137 Cs is supposed to be more significant. This is in line with our previous estimates that β-radiation contributed only 0.4-9.3% to the total dose at the study sites (Geras'kin et al, 2011).…”
Section: Necrotic Needlessupporting
confidence: 93%
“…The study sites are similar in soil properties, the stands of trees are homogeneous, and pine trees as an edificator species take up a significant part of the phytocenosis. The heavy metal contents in soils and cones are within background levels (Geras'kin et al, 2011). There were two reference populations (Ref and Ref1).…”
Section: Study Sitesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Monitoring of exposure dose rates and radionuclide activity concentrations in soils and pine cones at the study sites has been provided annually since 2003. Detailed information on the radioactive contamination of the study sites can be found in (Geras'kin et al, 2011). Table 1 gives general information about the main radionuclide activities in soils and cones as well as the dose and dose rate levels at the study sites (Spiridonov et al, 2008).…”
Section: Study Sitesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Studies of the effects of radiation exposure on Scots pine populations in the initial period after the Chernobyl accident revealed death of sprouts, dying needles, reduced reproductive capacity, chromosomal aberrations and mutations in enzyme loci (Kozubov and Taskaev, 2002;Fedotov et al, 2006). In the remote period, an increased mutational and cytogenetic variability in chronically irradiated pines was shown to be significantly associated with the levels of radiation exposure (Geras'kin et al, 2011;Geras'kin and Volkova, 2014). Nevertheless, any stable effects on productivity, seed survival or adaptive capacity were not identified (Geras'kin et al, 2011).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 98%
“…In the remote period, an increased mutational and cytogenetic variability in chronically irradiated pines was shown to be significantly associated with the levels of radiation exposure (Geras'kin et al, 2011;Geras'kin and Volkova, 2014). Nevertheless, any stable effects on productivity, seed survival or adaptive capacity were not identified (Geras'kin et al, 2011). Moreover, information on makarenko_ek_obninsk@mail.ru the possible alterations in morphometric traits of pine trees in the contaminated territories in the remote period after the accident is virtually absent.…”
-Biological effects in Scots pine populations experiencing chronic radiation exposure at doses up to 130 mGy per year as a result of the Chernobyl accident were studied in 2011 and 2013, using needle indices as endpoints. No relationships between the length, the mass of needles and the asymmetry in weight of paired needles and radiation exposure were revealed. The frequency of necrotic needles increases with the level of radiation exposure; however, the significance of these effects in different years was different. The index of fluctuating asymmetry in needle length significantly increases at annual doses of 90 and 130 mGy and correlates with the absorbed dose as well as 137 Cs and 90 Sr radionuclide activities in soils and cones at the study sites. The findings obtained are consistent with an international recommendation to consider radiation exposure of 100 mGy.y −1 as a margin for biota safety in chronic irradiation.
The long‐term contamination that followed the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl provides a case study for the effects of chronic ionizing radiation on living organisms and on their ability to tolerate or evolve resistance to such radiation. Previously, we studied the fertility and viability of early developmental stages of a castrating plant pathogen, the anther‐smut fungus Microbotryum lychnidis‐dioicae, isolated from field sites varying over 700‐fold in degree of radioactive contamination. Neither the budding rate of haploid spores following meiosis nor the karyotype structure varied with increasing radiation levels at sampling sites. Here, we assessed the ability of the same M. lychnidis‐dioicae strains to perform their whole life cycle, up to the production of symptoms in the plants, that is, the development of anthers full of fungal spores; we also assessed their viability under experimental radiation. Fungal strains from more contaminated sites had no lower spore numbers in anthers or viability, but infected host plants less well, indicating lower overall fitness due to radioactivity exposure. These findings improve our understanding of the previous field data, in which the anther‐smut disease prevalence on Silene latifolia plants caused by M. lychnidis‐dioicae was lower at more contaminated sites. Although the fungus showed relatively high resistance to experimental radiation, we found no evidence that increased resistance to radiation has evolved in populations from contaminated sites. Fungal strains from more contaminated sites even tolerated or repaired damage from a brief acute exposure to γ radiation less well than those from non‐ or less contaminated sites. Our results more generally concur with previous studies in showing that the fitness of living organisms is affected by radiation after nuclear disasters, but that they do not rapidly evolve higher tolerance.
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