Genetic and Ecological Studies of Animals in Chernobyl and Fukushima

Abstract

Recent advances in genetic and ecological studies of wild animal populations in Chernobyl and Fukushima have demonstrated significant genetic, physiological, developmental, and fitness effects stemming from exposure to radioactive contaminants. The few genetic studies that have been conducted in Chernobyl generally show elevated rates of genetic damage and mutation rates. All major taxonomic groups investigated (i.e., birds, bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders, mammals) displayed reduced population sizes in highly radioactive parts of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In Fukushima, population censuses of birds, butterflies, and cicadas suggested that abundances were negatively impacted by exposure to radioactive contaminants, while other groups (e.g., dragonflies, grasshoppers, bees, spiders) showed no significant declines, at least during the first summer following the disaster. Insufficient information exists for groups other than insects and birds to assess effects on life history at this time. The differences observed between Fukushima and Chernobyl may reflect the different times of exposure and the significance of multigenerational mutation accumulation in Chernobyl compared to Fukushima. There was considerable variation among taxa in their apparent sensitivity to radiation and this reflects in part life history, physiology, behavior, and evolutionary history. Interestingly, for birds, population declines in Chernobyl can be predicted by historical mitochondrial DNA base-pair substitution rates that may reflect intrinsic DNA repair ability. Subject areas: Conservation genetics and biodiversity Key words: birds, Chernobyl, Fukushima, invertebrates, mutation, radiation The notion that populations may have evolved adaptive responses to the mutational pressures imposed by chronic, multigenerational exposure to low-dose-rate radioactivity has been a prime motivator for recent studies of populations of plants and animals inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. And the disaster at Fukushima, although ongoing and hugely tragic, provides a unique opportunity to replicate, validate, and certainly test the generality of the findings from studies conducted previously at Chernobyl. The availability of a replicate site with similar characteristics with respect to amount and type of radioactive materials in the environment, as well as significant similarities among species present in both areas, provides for a level of scientific rigor not often available when studying large-scale ecological disasters.The overarching thesis of the research conducted by our group has been that chronic exposure to radionuclides will result in genetic damage (i.e., single and double strand breaks in DNA) and increased mutation rates (e.g., single nucleotide polymorphism, deletions, insertions, etc.) in both somatic and germ cell lines within individuals. It is expected that some portion of the genetic damage and mutational load will generate physiological, developmental, and behavioral effects on organisms, and tha...

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