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Cyran M, Stawarz K, Chambily L, Kusza K, Siemionow M. Assessment of Hematopoietic Response to Total Body Irradiation in a Rat Experimental Model. Ann Plast Surg 2024; 93:100-106. [PMID: 38785378 DOI: 10.1097/sap.0000000000003962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to high doses of total body irradiation (TBI) may lead to the development of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). This study was conducted to establish an experimental rat model of TBI to assess the impact of different doses of TBI on survival and the kinetics of changes within the hematopoietic system in ARS. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, 132 Lewis rats irradiated with a 5Gy or 7Gy dose served as experimental models to induce ARS and to evaluate the hematopoietic response of the bone marrow (BM) compartment. Animals were divided into 22 experimental groups (n = 6/group): groups 1-11 irradiated with 5Gy dose and groups 12-22 irradiated with 7Gy dose. The effects of TBI on the hematopoietic response were assessed at 2, 4, 6, 8 hours and 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60 and 90 days following TBI. Signs of ARS were evaluated by analyzing blood samples through complete blood count in addition to the clinical assessment. RESULTS Groups irradiated with 5Gy TBI showed 100% survival, whereas after 7Gy dose, 1.6% mortality rate was observed. Assessment of the complete blood count revealed that lymphocytes were the first to be affected, regardless of the dose used, whereas an "abortive rise" of granulocytes was noted for both TBI doses. None of the animals exhibited signs of severe anemia or thrombocytopenia. All animals irradiated with 5Gy dose regained initial values for all blood cell subpopulations by the end of observation period. Body weight loss was reported to be dose-dependent and was more pronounced in the 7Gy groups. However, at the study end point at 90 days, all animals regained or exceeded the initial weight values. CONCLUSIONS We have successfully established a rat experimental model of TBI. This study revealed a comparable hematopoietic response to the sublethal or potentially lethal doses of ionizing radiation. The experimental rat model of TBI may be used to assess different therapeutic approaches including BM-based cell therapies for long-term reconstitution of the hematopoietic and BM compartments allowing for comprehensive analysis of both the hematological and clinical symptoms associated with ARS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katarzyna Stawarz
- From the Department of Orthopaedics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Lucile Chambily
- From the Department of Orthopaedics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Krzysztof Kusza
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Intensive Therapy and Pain Management
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2
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Maile RE, Duggan MT, Mousseau TA. The successes and pitfalls: Deep-learning effectiveness in a Chernobyl field camera trap application. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10454. [PMID: 37674649 PMCID: PMC10477951 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Camera traps have become in situ sensors for collecting information on animal abundance and occupancy estimates. When deployed over a large landscape, camera traps have become ideal for measuring the health of ecosystems, particularly in unstable habitats where it can be dangerous or even impossible to observe using conventional methods. However, manual processing of imagery is extremely time and labor intensive. Because of the associated expense, many studies have started to employ machine-learning tools, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs). One drawback for the majority of networks is that a large number of images (millions) are necessary to devise an effective identification or classification model. This study examines specific factors pertinent to camera trap placement in the field that may influence the accuracy metrics of a deep-learning model that has been trained with a small set of images. False negatives and false positives may occur due to a variety of environmental factors that make it difficult for even a human observer to classify, including local weather patterns and daylight. We transfer-trained a CNN to detect 16 different object classes (14 animal species, humans, and fires) across 9576 images taken from camera traps placed in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. After analyzing wind speed, cloud cover, temperature, image contrast, and precipitation, there was not a significant correlation between CNN success and ambient conditions. However, a possible positive relationship between temperature and CNN success was noted. Furthermore, we found that the model was more successful when images were taken during the day as well as when precipitation was not present. This study suggests that while qualitative site-specific factors may confuse quantitative classification algorithms such as CNNs, training with a dynamic training set can account for ambient conditions so that they do not have a significant impact on CNN success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E. Maile
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
| | - Matthew T. Duggan
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
- Department of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Timothy A. Mousseau
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of South CarolinaColumbiaSouth CarolinaUSA
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3
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Winchell KM, Losos JB, Verrelli BC. Urban evolutionary ecology brings exaptation back into focus. Trends Ecol Evol 2023:S0169-5347(23)00060-5. [PMID: 37024381 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
The contribution of pre-existing phenotypic variation to evolution in novel environments has long been appreciated. Nevertheless, evolutionary ecologists have struggled with communicating these aspects of the adaptive process. In 1982, Gould and Vrba proposed terminology to distinguish character states shaped via natural selection for the roles they currently serve ('adaptations') from those shaped under preceding selective regimes ('exaptations'), with the intention of replacing the inaccurate 'preadaptation'. Forty years later, we revisit Gould and Vrba's ideas which, while often controversial, continue to be widely debated and highly cited. We use the recent emergence of urban evolutionary ecology as a timely opportunity to reintroduce the ideas of Gould and Vrba as an integrated framework to understand contemporary evolution in novel environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Winchell
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Biology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA.
| | - Jonathan B Losos
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Brian C Verrelli
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
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4
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Spatola GJ, Buckley RM, Dillon M, Dutrow EV, Betz JA, Pilot M, Parker HG, Bogdanowicz W, Thomas R, Chyzhevskyi I, Milinevsky G, Kleiman N, Breen M, Ostrander EA, Mousseau TA. The dogs of Chernobyl: Demographic insights into populations inhabiting the nuclear exclusion zone. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade2537. [PMID: 36867701 PMCID: PMC9984172 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade2537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster initiated a series of catastrophic events resulting in long-term and widespread environmental contamination. We characterize the genetic structure of 302 dogs representing three free-roaming dog populations living within the power plant itself, as well as those 15 to 45 kilometers from the disaster site. Genome-wide profiles from Chernobyl, purebred and free-breeding dogs, worldwide reveal that the individuals from the power plant and Chernobyl City are genetically distinct, with the former displaying increased intrapopulation genetic similarity and differentiation. Analysis of shared ancestral genome segments highlights differences in the extent and timing of western breed introgression. Kinship analysis reveals 15 families, with the largest spanning all collection sites within the radioactive exclusion zone, reflecting migration of dogs between the power plant and Chernobyl City. This study presents the first characterization of a domestic species in Chernobyl, establishing their importance for genetic studies into the effects of exposure to long-term, low-dose ionizing radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella J Spatola
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Reuben M Buckley
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Megan Dillon
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC 27695, USA
| | - Emily V Dutrow
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Małgorzata Pilot
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Heidi G Parker
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Rachel Thomas
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC 27695, USA
| | | | - Gennadi Milinevsky
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
- International Center of Future Science, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | | | - Matthew Breen
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC 27695, USA
| | - Elaine A Ostrander
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Timothy A Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
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5
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Otaki JM, Sakauchi K, Taira W. The second decade of the blue butterfly in Fukushima: Untangling the ecological field effects after the Fukushima nuclear accident. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2022; 18:1539-1550. [PMID: 35475314 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Many field observations of the biological effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident have been reported in the first decade after the accident. A series of observational and experimental studies have demonstrated causal adverse effects on the pale grass blue butterfly even at the low-level radiation exposure in the "field," contrary to the dosimetric view that insects are generally tolerant of radiation exposure. However, it has been demonstrated that the pale grass blue butterfly is tolerant of high oral doses of anthropogenic radioactive cesium (137 Cs) under "laboratory" conditions. This field-laboratory paradox can be explained by ecological field effects; for example, radiation stress in the field causes physiological and biochemical changes in the host plant, which then trophically affects butterfly larvae. The second decade of butterfly-based Fukushima research will be devoted to demonstrating how such adverse field effects occur. Changes in the host plant's nutritional contents likely affect butterfly physiology. The host plant may also upregulate secondary metabolites that affect herbivorous insects. The plant may be affected by changes in endophytic soil microbes in radioactively contaminated areas. If demonstrated, these results will reveal that the delicate ecological balances among the butterfly, its host plant, and soil microbes have been affected by radioactive pollution in Fukushima, which has important implications for environmental policies and human health. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1539-1550. © SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joji M Otaki
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Ko Sakauchi
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Wataru Taira
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
- Research Planning Office, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
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6
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Raskosha O, Bashlykova L, Starobor N. Assessment of DNA damage in somatic and germ cells of animals living with increased radiation background and their offspring. Int J Radiat Biol 2022; 99:499-509. [PMID: 35938979 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2022.2110327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this work is to assess DNA damage in the somatic and germ cells in root voles living for a long time under conditions of an increased radiation background and to examine the of manifestation of long-term consequences in their offspring. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using the DNA comet assay (neutral version), we assessed the proportion of cells with DNA damage in the cells of the thyroid, bone marrow and testicular in root voles (Microtus oeconomus Pall.) that lived under conditions of increased radiation background (exposure dose rate - 0.50-20 μSv/h; Komi Republic, Russia) and in their offspring (F1-F3) that were reproduced in a vivarium with a normal radiation background. RESULTS In animals caught in a radioactively contaminated area, the level of DNA fragmentation in the thyroid gland, bone marrow and testicular remained within the range of values of control animals. The studies that we continued on the offspring of irradiated root voles that were developing in the vivarium under normal radiation background allowed us to identify an increase in the level of DNA DSBs in the thyroid gland in the F1 generation, in the bone marrow and testicular cells in the F2 generation. The modifying effect of urethane showed a similarity in the response of somatic cells in voles that lived for a long time in a radioactively contaminated area and in their offspring that developed with a normal radiation background. The effect of urethane was more conspicuous in thyroid cells that, than in bone marrow cells. CONCLUSION The data obtained on voles from the experimental site indicate adaptation to habitat conditions in a radioactively polluted environment. The provocative effect of urethane made it possible to reveal different response of organs with different proliferative activity. Long-term habitation of voles under conditions of an increased radiation background led to genome instability in their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Raskosha
- Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biology of the Komi Science Center, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Lyudmila Bashlykova
- Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biology of the Komi Science Center, Syktyvkar, Russia
| | - Natalia Starobor
- Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biology of the Komi Science Center, Syktyvkar, Russia
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7
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Abstract
Environmental disasters offer the unique opportunity for landscape-scale ecological and evolutionary studies that are not possible in the laboratory or small experimental plots. The nuclear accident at Chernobyl (1986) allows for rigorous analyses of radiation effects on individuals and populations at an ecosystem scale. Here, the current state of knowledge related to populations within the Chernobyl region of Ukraine and Belarus following the largest civil nuclear accident in history is reviewed. There is now a significant literature that provides contrasting and occasionally conflicting views of the state of animals and how they are affected by this mutagenic stressor. Studies of genetic and physiological effects have largely suggested significant injuries to individuals inhabiting the more radioactive areas of the Chernobyl region. Most population censuses for most species suggest that abundances are reduced in the more radioactive areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A. Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA
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8
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Fuciarelli TM, Rollo CD. Ionizing radiation alters male Acheta domesticus courtship songs that are critical for mating success. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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9
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Pintus E, Ros-Santaella JL. Impact of Oxidative Stress on Male Reproduction in Domestic and Wild Animals. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:antiox10071154. [PMID: 34356386 PMCID: PMC8301082 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10071154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress occurs when the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) overcome the antioxidant defenses of the organism, jeopardizing several biological functions, including reproduction. In the male reproductive system, oxidative stress not only impairs sperm fertility but also compromises offspring health and survival, inducing oxidative damage to lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Although a clear link between oxidative stress and male fertility disorders has been demonstrated in humans and laboratory rodents, little information is available about the implications of impaired redox homeostasis in the male fertility of domestic and wild animals. Therefore, this review aims to provide an update regarding the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that are associated with oxidative stress in the male reproductive system and their impact on the reproductive performance of domestic and wild animals. The most recent strategies for palliating the detrimental effects of oxidative stress on male fertility are reviewed together with their potential economic and ecological implications in the livestock industry and biodiversity conservation.
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10
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Jernfors T, Danforth J, Kesäniemi J, Lavrinienko A, Tukalenko E, Fajkus J, Dvořáčková M, Mappes T, Watts PC. Expansion of rDNA and pericentromere satellite repeats in the genomes of bank voles Myodes glareolus exposed to environmental radionuclides. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:8754-8767. [PMID: 34257925 PMCID: PMC8258220 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered copy number of certain highly repetitive regions of the genome, such as satellite DNA within heterochromatin and ribosomal RNA loci (rDNA), is hypothesized to help safeguard the genome against damage derived from external stressors. We quantified copy number of the 18S rDNA and a pericentromeric satellite DNA (Msat-160) in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), an area that is contaminated by radionuclides and where organisms are exposed to elevated levels of ionizing radiation. We found a significant increase in 18S rDNA and Msat-160 content in the genomes of bank voles from contaminated locations within the CEZ compared with animals from uncontaminated locations. Moreover, 18S rDNA and Msat-160 copy number were positively correlated in the genomes of bank voles from uncontaminated, but not in the genomes of animals inhabiting contaminated, areas. These results show the capacity for local-scale geographic variation in genome architecture and are consistent with the genomic safeguard hypothesis. Disruption of cellular processes related to genomic stability appears to be a hallmark effect in bank voles inhabiting areas contaminated by radionuclides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Jernfors
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - John Danforth
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular BiologyRobson DNA Science CentreArnie Charbonneau Cancer InstituteCumming School of MedicineUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryCanada
| | - Jenni Kesäniemi
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Anton Lavrinienko
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Eugene Tukalenko
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
- National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical ScienceKyivUkraine
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and ProteomicsCentral European Institute of Technology (CEITEC)Masaryk UniversityBrnoCzech Republic
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and ProteomicsNCBRFaculty of ScienceMasaryk UniversityBrnoCzech Republic
- Department of Cell Biology and RadiobiologyInstitute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of SciencesBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Martina Dvořáčková
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and ProteomicsCentral European Institute of Technology (CEITEC)Masaryk UniversityBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Phillip C. Watts
- Department of Biological and Environmental ScienceUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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11
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Lavrinienko A, Hämäläinen A, Hindström R, Tukalenko E, Boratyński Z, Kivisaari K, Mousseau TA, Watts PC, Mappes T. Comparable response of wild rodent gut microbiome to anthropogenic habitat contamination. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:3485-3499. [PMID: 33955637 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Species identity is thought to dominate over environment in shaping wild rodent gut microbiota, but it remains unknown whether the responses of host gut microbiota to shared anthropogenic habitat impacts are species-specific or if the general gut microbiota response is similar across host species. Here, we compare the influence of exposure to radionuclide contamination on the gut microbiota of four wild mouse species: Apodemus flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. speciosus and A. argenteus. Building on the evidence that radiation impacts bank vole (Myodes glareolus) gut microbiota, we hypothesized that radiation exposure has a general impact on rodent gut microbiota. Because we sampled (n = 288) two species pairs of Apodemus mice that occur in sympatry in habitats affected by the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents, these comparisons provide an opportunity for a general assessment of the effects of exposure to environmental contamination (radionuclides) on gut microbiota across host phylogeny and geographical areas. In general agreement with our hypothesis, analyses of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that radiation exposure alters the gut microbiota composition and structure in three of the four species of Apodemus mice. The notable lack of an association between the gut microbiota and soil radionuclide contamination in one mouse species from Fukushima (A. argenteus) probably reflects host "radiation escape" through its unique tree-dwelling lifestyle. The finding that host ecology can modulate effects of radiation exposure offers an interesting counterpoint for future analyses into effects of radiation or any other toxic exposure on host and its associated microbiota. Our data show that exposure to radionuclide contamination is linked to comparable gut microbiota responses across multiple species of rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Lavrinienko
- Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Anni Hämäläinen
- Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Eugene Tukalenko
- Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Science, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Zbyszek Boratyński
- CIBIO-InBIO Associate Laboratory, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Kati Kivisaari
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Timothy A Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.,SURA/LASSO/NASA, ISS Utilization and Life Sciences Division, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
| | - Phillip C Watts
- Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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12
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Spatola GJ, Ostrander EA, Mousseau TA. The effects of ionizing radiation on domestic dogs: a review of the atomic bomb testing era. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1799-1815. [PMID: 33987930 PMCID: PMC8429057 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Dogs were frequently employed as laboratory subjects during the era of atomic bomb testing (1950–1980), particularly in studies used to generate predictive data regarding the expected effects of accidental human occupational exposure to radiation. The bulk of these studies were only partly reported in the primary literature, despite providing vital information regarding the effects of radiation exposure on a model mammalian species. Herein we review this literature and summarize the biological effects in relation to the isotopes used and the method of radionuclide exposure. Overall, these studies demonstrate the wide range of developmental and physiological effects of exposure to radiation and radionuclides in a mid‐sized mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella J Spatola
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, U.S.A.,Graduate Partnerships Program, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, U.S.A
| | - Elaine A Ostrander
- Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, U.S.A
| | - Timothy A Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, U.S.A.,SURA/LASSO/NASA, ISS Utilization and Life Sciences Division, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL, 32899, U.S.A
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13
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Nutrient Imbalance of the Host Plant for Larvae of the Pale Grass Blue Butterfly May Mediate the Field Effect of Low-Dose Radiation Exposure in Fukushima: Dose-Dependent Changes in the Sodium Content. INSECTS 2021; 12:insects12020149. [PMID: 33572324 PMCID: PMC7916146 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The pale grass blue butterfly Zizeeria maha is sensitive to low-dose radioactive pollution from the Fukushima nuclear accident in the field but is also highly tolerant to radioactive cesium (137Cs) in an artificial diet in laboratory experiments. To resolve this field-laboratory paradox, we hypothesize that the butterfly shows vulnerability in the field through biochemical changes in the larval host plant, the creeping wood sorrel Oxalis corniculata, in response to radiation stress. To test this field-effect hypothesis, we examined nutrient contents in the host plant leaves from Tohoku (mostly polluted areas including Fukushima), Niigata, and Kyushu, Japan. Leaves from Tohoku showed significantly lower sodium and lipid contents than those from Niigata. In the Tohoku samples, the sodium content (but not the lipid content) was significantly negatively correlated with the radioactivity concentration of cesium (137Cs) in leaves and with the ground radiation dose. The sodium content was also correlated with other nutrient factors. These results suggest that the sodium imbalance of the plant may be caused by radiation stress and that this nutrient imbalance may be one of the reasons that this monophagous butterfly showed high mortality and morphological abnormalities in the field shortly after the accident in Fukushima.
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14
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Scherb H, Grech V. The secondary sex ratio in Italy over the past eighty years (1940 to 2019) and potential impact of radiological contamination after atmospheric nuclear testing and after Chernobyl: Temporal change-point analysis using Markov Chain Monte Carlo. Reprod Toxicol 2021; 100:137-142. [PMID: 33539902 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2021.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In Europe, the male to female ratio at birth (secondary sex ratio: SSR; sex odds: SO) is 1.04-1.06, is influenced by many factors and is declining in industrialized countries. This study was carried out to identify possible impacts of fallout by atomic bomb tests or by the Chernobyl event on SSR in Italy. Italy is a country without commercial nuclear power generation for the last four decades and thus nearly free of radiological confounders. Counts of annual male and female live births in Italy are provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and by the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT). This study included 57.7 million live births (1940-2019) with overall SSR 1.05829. The Italian SSR trend was modelled with linear and non-linear logistic regression. Trend changes, i.e., periods with level shifts were estimated with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Two distinct idealized level shifts were identified superimposed on a uniform secular downward trend. The first one is seen towards the end of the 1960s with a jump sex odds ratio (SOR) 1.00681, p < 0.0001. The second one occurred in 1987 with SOR 1.00474, p < 0.0001. In each of the 3 periods separated by the two jumps, SSR uniformly decreased with trend SOR per 100 years of 0.98549, p < 0.0001. In conclusion, the secular trend in the Italian SSR showed two marked level shifts, at the end of the 1960s and from 1987 onward. These follow the release of radioactivity by atmospheric atomic bomb tests during the 1960s and by Chernobyl in 1986 and corroborate the hypothesis that ionizing radiation increases SSR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagen Scherb
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-87564, Neuherberg, Germany.
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15
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Fuciarelli TM, Rollo CD. Trans-Generational Impacts of Paternal Irradiation in a Cricket: Damage, Life-History Features and Hormesis in F1 Offspring. Dose Response 2021; 18:1559325820983214. [PMID: 33424519 PMCID: PMC7758660 DOI: 10.1177/1559325820983214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals exposed to significant stress express multi-modal responses to buffer negative impacts. Trans-generational impacts have been mainly studied in maternal lines, with paternal lines having received less attention. Here, we assessed paternal generational effects using irradiated male crickets (Acheta domesticus), and their F1 offspring (irradiated males mated to unirradiated females). Paternal transmission of radiation impacts emerged in multiple life history traits when compared to controls. Irradiated males and their F1 offspring expressed hormetic responses in survivorship and median longevity at mid-range doses. For F0 males, 7 Gy & 10 Gy doses extended F0 longevity by 39% and 34.2% respectively. F1 offspring of 7 Gy and 10 Gy sires had median lifespans 71.3% and 110.9% longer, respectively. Survivorship for both F0 7 Gy (p < 0.0001) and 10 Gy (p = 0.0055) males and F1 7 Gy and 10 Gy (p < 0.0001) offspring significantly surpassed that of controls. Irradiated F0 males and F1 offspring had significantly reduced growth rates. For F0 males, significant reductions were evident in 4Gy-12 Gy males and F1 offspring in 4 Gy (p < 0.0001), 7 Gy (p < 0.0001), and 10 Gy (p = 0.017). Our results indicate paternal effects; that irradiation directly impacted males but also mediated diverse alterations in the life history features (particularly longevity and survivorship) of F1 offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - C David Rollo
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Ludovici GM, Oliveira de Souza S, Chierici A, Cascone MG, d'Errico F, Malizia A. Adaptation to ionizing radiation of higher plants: From environmental radioactivity to chernobyl disaster. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 222:106375. [PMID: 32791372 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this work is to highlight the effects of ionizing radiation on the genetic material in higher plants by assessing both adaptive processes as well as the evolution of plant species. The effects that the ionizing radiation has on greenery following a nuclear accident, was examined by taking the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster as a case study. The genetic and evolutionary effects that ionizing radiation had on plants after the Chernobyl accident were highlighted. The response of biota to Chernobyl irradiation was a complex interaction among radiation dose, dose rate, temporal and spatial variation, varying radiation sensitivities of the different plants' species, and indirect effects from other events. Ionizing radiation causes water radiolysis, generating highly reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS induce the rapid activation of detoxifying enzymes. DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA) is the object of an attack by both, the hydroxyl ions and the radiation itself, thus triggering a mechanism both direct and indirect. The effects on DNA are harmful to the organism and the long-term development of the species. Dose-dependent aberrations in chromosomes are often observed after irradiation. Although multiple DNA repair mechanisms exist, double-strand breaks (DSBs or DNA-DSBs) are often subject to errors. Plants DSBs repair mechanisms mainly involve homologous and non-homologous dependent systems, the latter especially causing a loss of genetic information. Repeated ionizing radiation (acute or chronic) ensures that plants adapt, demonstrating radioresistance. An adaptive response has been suggested for this phenomenon. As a result, ionizing radiation influences the genetic structure, especially during chronic irradiation, reducing genetic variability. This reduction may be associated with the fact that particular plant species are more subject to chronic stress, confirming the adaptive theory. Therefore, the genomic effects of ionizing radiation demonstrate their likely involvement in the evolution of plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrea Chierici
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy; Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Francesco d'Errico
- Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, University of Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Malizia
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.
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17
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Beaugelin-Seiller K, Garnier-Laplace J, Della-Vedova C, Métivier JM, Lepage H, Mousseau TA, Møller AP. Dose reconstruction supports the interpretation of decreased abundance of mammals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14083. [PMID: 32826946 PMCID: PMC7442794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70699-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We re-analyzed field data concerning potential effects of ionizing radiation on the abundance of mammals collected in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) to interpret these findings from current knowledge of radiological dose–response relationships, here mammal response in terms of abundance. In line with recent work at Fukushima, and exploiting a census conducted in February 2009 in the CEZ, we reconstructed the radiological dose for 12 species of mammals observed at 161 sites. We used this new information rather than the measured ambient dose rate (from 0.0146 to 225 µGy h−1) to statistically analyze the variation in abundance for all observed species as established from tracks in the snow in previous field studies. All available knowledge related to relevant confounding factors was considered in this re-analysis. This more realistic approach led us to establish a correlation between changes in mammal abundance with both the time elapsed since the last snowfall and the dose rate to which they were exposed. This relationship was also observed when distinguishing prey from predators. The dose rates resulting from our re-analysis are in agreement with exposure levels reported in the literature as likely to induce physiological disorders in mammals that could explain the decrease in their abundance in the CEZ. Our results contribute to informing the Weight of Evidence approach to demonstrate effects on wildlife resulting from its field exposure to ionizing radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Beaugelin-Seiller
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SRTE, Cadarache, Bâtiment 183, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France.
| | - Jacqueline Garnier-Laplace
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV, Bâtiment 28, BP 17, 92262, Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France
| | - Claire Della-Vedova
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SRTE, Cadarache, Bâtiment 183, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - Jean-Michel Métivier
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SEREN, Cadarache, Bâtiment 153, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - Hugo Lepage
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, Pôle Santé Environnement, PSE-ENV/SRTE, Cadarache, Bâtiment 183, BP3, 13115, Saint Paul lez Durance Cedex, France
| | - Timothy A Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Anders Pape Møller
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS UMR 8079, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 362, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France
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18
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Perret C, Gidoin C, Ujvari B, Thomas F, Roche B. Predation shapes the impact of cancer on population dynamics and the evolution of cancer resistance. Evol Appl 2020; 13:1733-1744. [PMID: 32821280 PMCID: PMC7428821 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a widespread disease that affects most of the metazoans. However, cancer development is a slow process and, long before causing the death of the individual, may weaken organisms' capacities and impair their interactions with other species. Yet, the impact of cancer development on biotic interactions, and over the dynamics of the whole ecosystem, is still largely unexplored. As well, the feedback of altered biotic interactions on the evolution of resistance against cancer in the context of community ecology has not been investigated. From this new perspective, we theoretically investigate how cancer can challenge expected interaction outcomes in a predator-prey model system, and how, in return, these altered interaction outcomes could affect evolution of resistance mechanism against cancer. First, we demonstrate a clear difference between prey and predator vulnerability to cancer, with cancer having a limited impact on prey populations. Second, we show that biotic interactions can surprisingly lead to a null or positive effect of cancer on population densities. Finally, our evolutionary analysis sheds light on how biotic interactions can lead to diverse resistance levels in predator populations. While its role in ecosystems is mostly unknown, we demonstrate that cancer in wildlife is an important ecological and evolutionary force to consider.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Perret
- CREEC/CREESUMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
- Present address:
School of Computing, Engineering & Digital TechnologiesTeeside UniversityMiddlesbroughUK
| | - Cindy Gidoin
- CREEC/CREESUMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Beata Ujvari
- Centre for Integrative EcologySchool of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityVictoriaAustralia
- School of Natural SciencesUniversity of TasmaniaHobartTasmaniaAustralia
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/CREESUMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Benjamin Roche
- CREEC/CREESUMR IRD 224‐CNRS 5290‐Université de MontpellierMontpellierFrance
- Unité mixte internationale de Modélisation Mathématique et Informatique des Systèmes Complexes (UMI IRD/ Sorbonne Université, UMMISCO)Bondy CedexFrance
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19
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Diamond SE, Martin RA. Evolution is a double-edged sword, not a silver bullet, to confront global change. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2020; 1469:38-51. [PMID: 32500534 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although there is considerable optimism surrounding adaptive evolutionary responses to global change, relatively little attention has been paid to maladaptation in this context. In this review, we consider how global change might lead populations to become maladapted. We further consider how populations can evolve to new optima, fail to evolve and therefore remain maladapted, or become further maladapted through trait-driven or eco-evo-driven mechanisms after being displaced from their fitness optima. Our goal is to stimulate thinking about evolution as a "double-edged sword" that comprises both adaptive and maladaptive responses, rather than as a "silver bullet" or a purely adaptive mechanism to combat global change. We conclude by discussing how a better appreciation of environmentally driven maladaptation and maladaptive responses might improve our current understanding of population responses to global change and our ability to forecast future responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Diamond
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Ryan A Martin
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
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20
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Erenler HE, Gillman MP, Ollerton J. Impact of extreme events on pollinator assemblages. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 38:34-39. [PMID: 32088649 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Insect pollinators face a number of well-documented threats that challenge their survival at an individual and community level. The effect of extreme events on pollinator assemblages has received little attention to date, partly due to a lack of consensus on what constitutes extreme, but also because robust pre-event data is often lacking. Here, the term SHOCK (Sudden, High-magnitude Opportunity for a Catastrophic 'Kick') is used to encompass attributes of extreme events that carry the potential to add additional challenges to insect communities already facing environmental stressors. Selected events from two SHOCK categories are explored (those with natural origins and those that are human-mediated). The value of studying single events is considered in the context of a third category; human-enhanced SHOCKs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary E Erenler
- Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Waterside Campus, Northampton, NN1 5PH, UK.
| | - Michael P Gillman
- School of Life Sciences, The University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, UK
| | - Jeff Ollerton
- Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology, University of Northampton, Waterside Campus, Northampton, NN1 5PH, UK
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21
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Zhang A, Steen TY. Gut Microbiomics-A Solution to Unloose the Gordian Knot of Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation. J Hered 2019; 109:212-221. [PMID: 29452420 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esx059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents have called forth a growing body of research on their biological aftermaths. A variety of wild organisms, including primates, birds, fish, insects, and worms are being studied in the affected areas, with emerging morphological, physiological, and genetic aberrations ascribed to ionizing radiation. Despite the effort in surveying Chernobyl and Fukushima wildlife, little is known about the microorganisms associated with these radiation-contaminated animals. The microbiota, especially the gut commensal, plays an important role in shaping the metabolic reservoir and immune system of the host, and is sensitive to a wide array of environmental factors, including ionizing radiation. Humans and limited numbers of laboratory species have been the main subjects of microbiome studies, however, a more practical insight on host-gut microbiota dynamics under environmental impact should be explored in natural habitats. In this analysis, we introduced a working model explaining possible mechanisms of ionizing radiation on the gut microbiota, with an evaluation of the gut microbiota as a potential biomarker for exposure to ionizing radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY
| | - Tomoko Y Steen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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22
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Gagnaire B, Bonnet M, Tchamitchian S, Cavalié I, Della-Vedova C, Dubourg N, Adam-Guillermin C, Brunet JL, Belzunces LP. Physiological effects of gamma irradiation in the honeybee, Apis mellifera. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2019; 174:153-163. [PMID: 30825738 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial ecosystems are exposed to various kinds of pollutants, including radionuclides. The honeybee, Apis mellifera, is commonly used in ecotoxicology as a model species for evaluating the effects of pollutants. In the present study, honeybees were irradiated right after birth for 14 days with gamma rays at dose rates ranging between 4.38 × 10-3 and 588 mGy/d. Biological tissues (head, intestine and abdomen) were sampled at D3, D10 and D14. Ten different physiological markers involved in nervous (acetylcholinesterase (AChE)), antioxidative (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST)), immune system (phenoloxidase (PO)) and metabolism (carboxylesterases (CaEs) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) were measured. Univariate analyses were conducted to determine whether each individual biomarker response was positively or negatively correlated with the dose rate. Then, multivariate analyses were applied to investigate the relationships between all the biomarker responses. Although no mortality occurred during the experiment, several biomarkers varied significantly in relation to the dose rate. Globally, the biomarkers of antioxidant and immune systems decreased as the dose rate increased. Reversible effects on the indicator of the neural system were found. Concerning indicators of metabolism (carboxylesterases), variations occurred but no clear pattern was found. Taken altogether, these results help better understand the effects of ionizing radiation on bees by identifying relevant physiological markers of effects. These results could improve the assessment of the environmental risk due to ionizing radiation in terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Gagnaire
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance 13115, France.
| | - M Bonnet
- INRA, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, UR 406 A&E, CS 40509, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France
| | - S Tchamitchian
- INRA, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, UR 406 A&E, CS 40509, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France
| | - I Cavalié
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance 13115, France
| | - C Della-Vedova
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LRTA, Cadarache, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance 13115, France
| | - N Dubourg
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance 13115, France
| | - C Adam-Guillermin
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance 13115, France
| | - J-L Brunet
- INRA, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, UR 406 A&E, CS 40509, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France
| | - L P Belzunces
- INRA, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, UR 406 A&E, CS 40509, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France.
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23
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Rogovskyy AS, Threadgill DW, Akimov IA, Nebogatkin IV, Rogovska YV, Melnyk MV, Rogovskyy SP. Borrelia and Other Zoonotic Pathogens in Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus Ticks Collected from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on the 30th Anniversary of the Nuclear Disaster. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2019; 19:466-473. [PMID: 31112094 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The 26th of April 2016 marked 30 years since the Chernobyl accident has occurred in Ukraine. As a result, the uninhabited Chernobyl region has been directly exposed to ionizing radiation for >30 years. Most work has focused on identifying associations between levels of radiation and the abundance, distribution, and mutation rates of plants and animals. Much less, however, is known about microbial communities in this affected region. To date, there are no reports on the prevalence of any tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes ricinus ticks from the Chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ). The objective of our study was to examine the abundance of I. ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in the CEZ and to investigate the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and other zoonotic agents in these ixodid ticks. Methods: A total of 260 questing I. ricinus and 100 D. reticulatus adult ticks were individually polymerase chain reaction analyzed for the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Francisella tularensis, and/or Rickettsia spp. Results: The respective infections rates were identified and compared with those of ixodid ticks that were concurrently collected from Kyiv. The significant differences between the infection rates of the CEZ and Kyiv ticks were observed for Rickettsia raoultii in D. reticulatus ticks (53.0% vs. 35.7%, respectively; p < 0.05) and Bartonella spp. (8.1% vs. 2.7%; P < 0.05) in I. ricinus ticks. Conclusions: Although the current data clearly demonstrated that the prevalence of some zoonotic pathogens were significantly higher in the ixodid ticks from the CEZ, a more comprehensive systematic approach is required to examine the causal effect of long-term ionizing radiation on adaptive changes of tick-borne pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem S Rogovskyy
- 1 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - David W Threadgill
- 1 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.,2 Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Igor A Akimov
- 3 I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Igor V Nebogatkin
- 3 I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Yuliya V Rogovska
- 1 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Maria V Melnyk
- 4 Department of Microbiology, Virology, and Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Sergii P Rogovskyy
- 3 I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
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24
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Developmental and hemocytological effects of ingesting Fukushima's radiocesium on the cabbage white butterfly Pieris rapae. Sci Rep 2019; 9:2625. [PMID: 30796244 PMCID: PMC6385249 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37325-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
High morphological abnormality and mortality rates have been reported in the pale grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria maha, since the Fukushima nuclear accident. However, it remains uncertain if these effects are restricted to this butterfly. Here, we evaluated the effects of ingesting cabbage leaves grown with contaminated soils from Fukushima on the development and hemocytes of the cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae. Contaminated cabbage leaves containing various low levels of anthropogenic 134Cs and 137Cs radioactivity (less than natural 40K radioactivity) were fed to larvae from Okinawa, the least contaminated locality in Japan. Negative developmental and morphological effects were detected in the experimental groups. The cesium (but not potassium) radioactivity concentration was negatively correlated with the granulocyte percentage in hemolymph, and the granulocyte percentage was positively correlated with the pupal eclosion rate, the adult achievement rate, and the total normality rate. These results demonstrated that ingesting low-level radiocesium contaminants in Fukushima (but not natural radiopotassium) imposed biologically negative effects on the cabbage white butterfly, as in the pale grass blue butterfly, at both cellular and organismal levels.
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25
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Giraudeau M, Bonzom JM, Ducatez S, Beaugelin-Seiller K, Deviche P, Lengagne T, Cavalie I, Camilleri V, Adam-Guillermin C, McGraw KJ. Carotenoid distribution in wild Japanese tree frogs (Hyla japonica) exposed to ionizing radiation in Fukushima. Sci Rep 2018; 8:7438. [PMID: 29743616 PMCID: PMC5943346 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25495-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear accident in the Fukushima prefecture released a large amount of artificial radionuclides that might have short- and long-term biological effects on wildlife. Ionizing radiation can be a harmful source of reactive oxygen species, and previous studies have already shown reduced fitness effects in exposed animals in Chernobyl. Due to their potential health benefits, carotenoid pigments might be used by animals to limit detrimental effects of ionizing radiation exposure. Here, we examined concentrations of carotenoids in blood (i.e. a snapshot of levels in circulation), liver (endogenous carotenoid reserves), and the vocal sac skin (sexual signal) in relation to the total radiation dose rates absorbed by individual (TDR from 0.2 to 34 µGy/h) Japanese tree frogs (Hyla japonica). We found high within-site variability of TDRs, but no significant effects of the TDR on tissue carotenoid levels, suggesting that carotenoid distribution in amphibians might be less sensitive to ionizing radiation exposure than in other organisms or that the potential deleterious effects of radiation exposure might be less significant or more difficult to detect in Fukushima than in Chernobyl due to, among other things, differences in the abundance and mixture of each radionuclide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Giraudeau
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA.
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
| | - Jean-Marc Bonzom
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France.
| | - Simon Ducatez
- School of Biological Sciences A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Karine Beaugelin-Seiller
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Pierre Deviche
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA
| | - Thierry Lengagne
- Université de Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5023, Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Bât. Darwin C, F-69622, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Isabelle Cavalie
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Virginie Camilleri
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Christelle Adam-Guillermin
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Kevin J McGraw
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA
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Abstract
Our planet is an increasingly urbanized landscape, with over half of the human population residing in cities. Despite advances in urban ecology, we do not adequately understand how urbanization affects the evolution of organisms, nor how this evolution may affect ecosystems and human health. Here, we review evidence for the effects of urbanization on the evolution of microbes, plants, and animals that inhabit cities. Urbanization affects adaptive and nonadaptive evolutionary processes that shape the genetic diversity within and between populations. Rapid adaptation has facilitated the success of some native species in urban areas, but it has also allowed human pests and disease to spread more rapidly. The nascent field of urban evolution brings together efforts to understand evolution in response to environmental change while developing new hypotheses concerning adaptation to urban infrastructure and human socioeconomic activity. The next generation of research on urban evolution will provide critical insight into the importance of evolution for sustainable interactions between humans and our city environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc T J Johnson
- Department of Biology and Center for Urban Environments, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. .,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jason Munshi-South
- Department of Biological Sciences and Louis Calder Center, Fordham University, Armonk, NY, USA.
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27
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Vittecoq M, Giraudeau M, Sepp T, Marcogliese DJ, Klaassen M, Renaud F, Ujvari B, Thomas F. Turning natural adaptations to oncogenic factors into an ally in the war against cancer. Evol Appl 2018; 11:836-844. [PMID: 29928293 PMCID: PMC5999213 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Both field and experimental evolution studies have demonstrated that organisms naturally or artificially exposed to environmental oncogenic factors can, sometimes rapidly, evolve specific adaptations to cope with pollutants and their adverse effects on fitness. Although numerous pollutants are mutagenic and carcinogenic, little attention has been given to exploring the extent to which adaptations displayed by organisms living in oncogenic environments could inspire novel cancer treatments, through mimicking the processes allowing these organisms to prevent or limit malignant progression. Building on a substantial knowledge base from the literature, we here present and discuss this progressive and promising research direction, advocating closer collaboration between the fields of medicine, ecology, and evolution in the war against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Vittecoq
- Institut de Recherche de la Tour du Valat Arles France.,CREEC/MIVEGEC IRD CNRS University of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Mathieu Giraudeau
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe AZ USA.,Centre for Ecology & Conservation College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn UK
| | - Tuul Sepp
- School of Life Sciences Arizona State University Tempe AZ USA.,Department of Zoology University of Tartu Tartu Estonia
| | - David J Marcogliese
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division Water Science and Technology Directorate Environment and Climate Change Canada St. Lawrence Centre Montreal QC Canada.,Fisheries and Oceans Canada St. Andrews Biological Station St. Andrews NB Canada
| | - Marcel Klaassen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Integrative Ecology Deakin University Deakin Vic. Australia
| | - François Renaud
- CREEC/MIVEGEC IRD CNRS University of Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - Beata Ujvari
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Integrative Ecology Deakin University Deakin Vic. Australia.,School of Biological Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart TAS Australia
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/MIVEGEC IRD CNRS University of Montpellier Montpellier France
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28
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Steen TY. Ecological Impacts of Ionizing Radiation: Follow-up Studies of Nonhuman Species at Fukushima. J Hered 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esy002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
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29
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Otaki JM, Taira W. Current Status of the Blue Butterfly in Fukushima Research. J Hered 2018; 109:178-187. [PMID: 28431090 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esx037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Adverse biological impacts of the Fukushima nuclear accident have been revealed using the pale grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria maha, since 2012, which were often considered incompatible with the conventional understanding of radiation biology. This discrepancy likely originates from different system conditions and methodologies. In this article, we first respond to comments from the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) regarding our study; "technical errors" in unit usage and mathematical models noted by UNSCEAR are not errors but reflect our research philosophy not to introduce theoretical assumptions associated with unit conversion and mathematical fit. Second, we review our recent studies to support the original 2012 conclusions. Because the high morphological abnormality rate and small body size detected in Fukushima in 2011 have already ceased, likely through adaptive evolution, their present geographical distributions were investigated throughout Japan. Local populations showing relatively high abnormality rates and small body sizes were rare and basically restricted to Miyagi and its northern populations excluding the Fukushima populations, supporting the causal involvement of the accident. Lastly, we stress the importance of understanding the whole picture of the biological impacts of the Fukushima accident. In addition to the direct radiation impacts, indirect impacts through unknown radiation-associated mechanisms, such as immunological responses to insoluble particulate matter and nutritional deficiencies in plants and animals, would be in effect. Further environmental studies beyond conventional radiation biology and physics are necessary to understand the complex responses of organisms, including humans, to the Fukushima nuclear accident.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joji M Otaki
- BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Wataru Taira
- BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
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30
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Itoh M, Kajihara R, Kato Y, Takano-Shimizu T, Inoue Y. Frequencies of chromosomal inversions in Drosophila melanogaster in Fukushima after the nuclear power plant accident. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192096. [PMID: 29420572 PMCID: PMC5805227 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to investigate genetic impact of a large amount of radionuclides released by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, we surveyed 2,304 haploid genomes of Drosophila melanogaster collected in three localities in Fukushima in 2012 and 2013 for chromosomal inversions. No unique inversion was found in 298 genomes in 2012 and only two in 2,006 genomes in 2013. The observed frequencies were even lower than the long-term average frequency of unique inversions in Japan. The common cosmopolitan inversions were also examined in Fukushima, Kyoto, and Iriomote (Okinawa) in 2012. Among three samples in Fukushima, the flies in Iizaka, where environmental radiation level was the highest, showed the lowest frequency of In(2L)t, but the highest frequency of In(3R)P, contrary to the expectation of decreasing of their frequencies in higher polluted areas. These results suggest that, at this level of genetic analysis, Fukushima populations of D. melanogaster would not have been negatively impacted following the release of radionuclides. Transposable P-element mobility was not likely to induce DNA damage solely or synergistically with radioactivity, because their transposition activity was totally repressed in the Fukushima strains. However, it should be noted that, because of limitations in access to the exclusion zone, we could only sample the populations in areas of relatively low radioactive contamination (0.39-0.63 μSv/h). Therefore, the present study is likely to be underpowered to detect any effects that might be expected in heavily contaminated areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanobu Itoh
- Department of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
- Advanced Insect Research Promotion Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ryutaro Kajihara
- Department of Applied Biology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yasuko Kato
- Advanced Insect Research Promotion Center, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute of Promotion of University Strategy, Global Excellence, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Yutaka Inoue
- Center for Education in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Japan
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31
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Ruiz-Rodríguez M, Møller AP, Mousseau TA, Soler JJ. Capacity of blood plasma is higher in birds breeding in radioactively contaminated areas. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0179209. [PMID: 28662048 PMCID: PMC5490992 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Environmental pollution in general, and radioactive contamination in particular, may deeply affect host-parasite relationships and their consequences for the evolution of organisms. The nuclear accident that occurred more than 30 years ago in Chernobyl resulted in significant changes in diversity and richness of microbial communities that could influence characteristics of animal-bacteria interactions, including host immune responses and competitive interference by bacteria. Given the high mortality rate of birds breeding in radioactively contaminated zones, those with stronger defences against infections should experience significant fitness advantages. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we characterized antimicrobial capacity of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) from different Ukrainian populations (subject to a gradient of ionizing radiation) against 12 bacterial species. We also quantified constitutive innate immunity, which is the non-specific first barrier of protection of hosts against microbial parasites. We found a positive association between specific antimicrobial capacity of individual hosts and radiation levels in breeding habitats even after controlling for other confounding variables such as sex and age. However, no significant relationship was found between immunocompetence (non-specific response) and background radiation. Conclusions/Significance These results suggest that radiation selects for broad antimicrobial spectra of barn swallows, although not for all bacterial strains. We discuss these results in the framework of host-parasite evolution under extreme environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Ruiz-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Anders P. Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Timothy A. Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Juan J. Soler
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, CSIC, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
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32
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Strand P, Sundell-Bergman S, Brown JE, Dowdall M. On the divergences in assessment of environmental impacts from ionising radiation following the Fukushima accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 169-170:159-173. [PMID: 28119209 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Revised: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on March 11, 2011, led to significant contamination of the surrounding terrestrial and marine environments. Whilst impacts on human health remain the primary concern in the aftermath of such an accident, recent years have seen a significant body of work conducted on the assessment of the accident's impacts on both the terrestrial and marine environment. Such assessments have been undertaken at various levels of biological organisation, for different species, using different methodologies and coming, in many cases, to divergent conclusions as to the effects of the accident on the environment. This article provides an overview of the work conducted in relation to the environmental impacts of the Fukushima accident, critically comparing and contrasting methodologies and results with a view towards finding reasons for discrepancies, should they indeed exist. Based on the outcomes of studies conducted to date, it would appear that in order to avoid the fractured and disparate conclusions drawn in the aftermath of previous accidents, radioactive contaminants and their effects can no longer simply be viewed in isolation with respect to the ecosystems these effects may impact. A combination of laboratory based and field studies with a focus on ecosystem functioning and effects could offer the best opportunities for coherence in the interpretation of the results of studies into the environmental impacts of ionising radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Strand
- CERAD, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1430 Ås, Norway.
| | - S Sundell-Bergman
- Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Box 7014, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J E Brown
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Grini næringspark 13, 1332 Østerås, Norway
| | - M Dowdall
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Grini næringspark 13, 1332 Østerås, Norway
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33
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Boratyński Z, Arias JM, Garcia C, Mappes T, Mousseau TA, Møller AP, Pajares AJM, Piwczyński M, Tukalenko E. Ionizing radiation from Chernobyl affects development of wild carrot plants. Sci Rep 2016; 6:39282. [PMID: 27982121 PMCID: PMC5159907 DOI: 10.1038/srep39282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Radioactivity released from disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima is a global hazard and a threat to exposed biota. To minimize the deleterious effects of stressors organisms adopt various strategies. Plants, for example, may delay germination or stay dormant during stressful periods. However, an intense stress may halt germination or heavily affect various developmental stages and select for life history changes. Here, we test for the consequence of exposure to ionizing radiation on plant development. We conducted a common garden experiment in an uncontaminated greenhouse using 660 seeds originating from 33 wild carrots (Daucus carota) collected near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. These maternal plants had been exposed to radiation levels that varied by three orders of magnitude. We found strong negative effects of elevated radiation on the timing and rates of seed germination. In addition, later stages of development and the timing of emergence of consecutive leaves were delayed by exposure to radiation. We hypothesize that low quality of resources stored in seeds, damaged DNA, or both, delayed development and halted germination of seeds from plants exposed to elevated levels of ionizing radiation. We propose that high levels of spatial heterogeneity in background radiation may hamper adaptive life history responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zbyszek Boratyński
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Associated Laboratory of the University of Porto, Vairão, PT-4485–661 Vairão, Portugal
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Javi Miranda Arias
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Associated Laboratory of the University of Porto, Vairão, PT-4485–661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Cristina Garcia
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Associated Laboratory of the University of Porto, Vairão, PT-4485–661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Timothy A. Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Department of Environmental Biology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan
| | - Anders P. Møller
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS UMR 8079, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 362, F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Antonio Jesús Muñoz Pajares
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Associated Laboratory of the University of Porto, Vairão, PT-4485–661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Marcin Piwczyński
- Chair of Ecology and Biogeography, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, PL-87-100 Toruń, Poland
| | - Eugene Tukalenko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland
- Institute of Biology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, UA-03022 Kyiv, Ukraine
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34
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Blume YB, Grodzinsky DM. Thirty years after Chernobyl accident: Evaluation of consequences by biologists and medical scientists. CYTOL GENET+ 2016. [DOI: 10.3103/s0095452716060025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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35
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Yemets AI, Blume RY, Sorochinsky BV. Adaptation of the gymnosperms to the conditions of irradiation in the Chernobyl zone: from morphological abnormalities to the molecular genetic consequences. CYTOL GENET+ 2016. [DOI: 10.3103/s0095452716060086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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36
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Otaki JM. Fukushima's lessons from the blue butterfly: A risk assessment of the human living environment in the post-Fukushima era. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2016; 12:667-672. [PMID: 27640413 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.1828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A series of studies on the pale grass blue butterfly that were carried out to assess the biological effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident teach 3 important lessons. First, it is necessary to have an environmental indicator species, such as the pale grass blue butterfly in Japan, that is common (not endangered), shares a living environment (air, water, and soil) with humans, and is amenable to laboratory experiments. The monitoring of such indicator species before and immediately after a nuclear accident likely reflects acute impacts caused by initial exposure. To assess transgenerational and chronic effects, continuous monitoring over time is encouraged. Second, it is important to understand the actual health status of a polluted region and comprehend the whole picture of the pollution impacts, rather than focusing on the selected effects of radiation alone. In our butterfly experiments, plant leaves from Fukushima were fed to larval butterflies to access whole-body effects, focusing on survival rate and morphological abnormalities (rather than focusing on a specific disease or biochemical marker). Our results revealed that ionizing radiation is unlikely to be the exclusive source of environmental disturbances. Airborne particulate matter from a nuclear reactor, regardless of its radioactivity, is likely equally important. Finally, our butterfly experiments demonstrate that there is considerable variation in sensitivities to nuclear pollution within a single species or even within a local population. Based on these results, it is speculated that high pollution sensitivity in humans may be caused not only by low levels of functional DNA repair enzymes but also by immunological responses to particulate matter in the respiratory tract. These lessons from the pale grass blue butterfly should be integrated in studying future nuclear pollution events and decision making on nuclear and environmental policies at the local and international levels in the postFukushima era. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:667-672. © 2016 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joji M Otaki
- BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
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37
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Bréchignac F, Oughton D, Mays C, Barnthouse L, Beasley JC, Bonisoli-Alquati A, Bradshaw C, Brown J, Dray S, Geras'kin S, Glenn T, Higley K, Ishida K, Kapustka L, Kautsky U, Kuhne W, Lynch M, Mappes T, Mihok S, Møller AP, Mothersill C, Mousseau TA, Otaki JM, Pryakhin E, Rhodes OE, Salbu B, Strand P, Tsukada H. Addressing ecological effects of radiation on populations and ecosystems to improve protection of the environment against radiation: Agreed statements from a Consensus Symposium. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2016; 158-159:21-9. [PMID: 27058410 PMCID: PMC4976067 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/26/2016] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
This paper reports the output of a consensus symposium organized by the International Union of Radioecology in November 2015. The symposium gathered an academically diverse group of 30 scientists to consider the still debated ecological impact of radiation on populations and ecosystems. Stimulated by the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters' accidental contamination of the environment, there is increasing interest in developing environmental radiation protection frameworks. Scientific research conducted in a variety of laboratory and field settings has improved our knowledge of the effects of ionizing radiation on the environment. However, the results from such studies sometimes appear contradictory and there is disagreement about the implications for risk assessment. The Symposium discussions therefore focused on issues that might lead to different interpretations of the results, such as laboratory versus field approaches, organism versus population and ecosystemic inference strategies, dose estimation approaches and their significance under chronic exposure conditions. The participating scientists, from across the spectrum of disciplines and research areas, extending also beyond the traditional radioecology community, successfully developed a constructive spirit directed at understanding discrepancies. From the discussions, the group has derived seven consensus statements related to environmental protection against radiation, which are supplemented with some recommendations. Each of these statements is contextualized and discussed in view of contributing to the orientation and integration of future research, the results of which should yield better consensus on the ecological impact of radiation and consolidate suitable approaches for efficient radiological protection of the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Bréchignac
- Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Centre of Cadarache, BP 3, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance, Cedex, France; International Union of Radioecology (IUR), Center of Cadarache, BP 3, 13115 St Paul-lez-Durance, Cedex, France.
| | - Deborah Oughton
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway.
| | - Claire Mays
- Institut Symlog de France, 262 rue Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Lawrence Barnthouse
- LWB Environmental Services, Inc., 1620 New London Rd., Hamilton, OH 45013, USA.
| | - James C Beasley
- University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory & Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, PO Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA.
| | - Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati
- School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
| | - Clare Bradshaw
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Justin Brown
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA), Østerås, Norway.
| | - Stéphane Dray
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, France; CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
| | | | - Travis Glenn
- Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
| | - Kathy Higley
- School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
| | - Ken Ishida
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
| | - Lawrence Kapustka
- LK Consultancy, P.O. Box 373, Turner Valley, Alberta T0L 2A0, Canada.
| | - Ulrik Kautsky
- Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., (SKB), P.O. Box 250, SE-101 24 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Wendy Kuhne
- Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC, USA.
| | - Michael Lynch
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyvaskyla, Finland.
| | - Steve Mihok
- 388 Church Street, Russell, Ontario K4R 1A8, Canada.
| | - Anders P Møller
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91405 Orsay, Cedex, France.
| | - Carmel Mothersill
- Department of Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Timothy A Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, and, the School of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
| | - Joji M Otaki
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan.
| | - Evgeny Pryakhin
- Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, Vorovsky Str. 68a, 454076 Chelyabinsk, Russia.
| | - Olin E Rhodes
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL), Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA.
| | - Brit Salbu
- Center for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Aas, Norway.
| | - Per Strand
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Universitetstunet 3, 1430 Ås, Norway.
| | - Hirofumi Tsukada
- Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima-shi, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan.
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38
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Henle K, Gawel E, Ring I, Strunz S. Promoting nuclear energy to sustain biodiversity conservation in the face of climate change: response to Brook and Bradshaw 2015. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2016; 30:663-665. [PMID: 26872153 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Henle
- Department of Conservation Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Erik Gawel
- Department of Economics, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Irene Ring
- Department of Economics, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sebastian Strunz
- Department of Economics, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
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39
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Taira W, Hiyama A, Nohara C, Sakauchi K, Otaki JM. Ingestional and transgenerational effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident on the pale grass blue butterfly. JOURNAL OF RADIATION RESEARCH 2015; 56 Suppl 1:i2-i18. [PMID: 26661851 PMCID: PMC4732531 DOI: 10.1093/jrr/rrv068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
One important public concern in Japan is the potential health effects on animals and humans that live in the Tohoku-Kanto districts associated with the ingestion of foods contaminated with artificial radionuclides from the collapsed Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. Additionally, transgenerational or heritable effects of radiation exposure are also important public concerns because these effects could cause long-term changes in animal and human populations. Here, we concisely review our findings and implications related to the ingestional and transgenerational effects of radiation exposure on the pale grass blue butterfly, Zizeeria maha, which coexists with humans. The butterfly larval ingestion of contaminated leaves found in areas of human habitation, even at low doses, resulted in morphological abnormalities and death for some individuals, whereas other individuals were not affected, at least morphologically. This variable sensitivity serves as a basis for the adaptive evolution of radiation resistance. The distribution of abnormality and mortality rates from low to high doses fits well with a Weibull function model or a power function model. The offspring generated by morphologically normal individuals that consumed contaminated leaves exhibited high mortality rates when fed contaminated leaves; importantly, low mortality rates were restored when they were fed non-contaminated leaves. Our field monitoring over 3 years (2011-2013) indicated that abnormality and mortality rates peaked primarily in the fall of 2011 and decreased afterwards to normal levels. These findings indicate high impacts of early exposure and transgenerationally accumulated radiation effects over a specific period; however, the population regained normality relatively quickly after ∼15 generations within 3 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wataru Taira
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Atsuki Hiyama
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Chiyo Nohara
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Ko Sakauchi
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
| | - Joji M Otaki
- The BCPH Unit of Molecular Physiology, Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan
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Aliyu AS, Evangeliou N, Mousseau TA, Wu J, Ramli AT. An overview of current knowledge concerning the health and environmental consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2015; 85:213-28. [PMID: 26425805 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Revised: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Since 2011, the scientific community has worked to identify the exact transport and deposition patterns of radionuclides released from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in Japan. Nevertheless, there still remain many unknowns concerning the health and environmental impacts of these radionuclides. The present paper reviews the current understanding of the FDNPP accident with respect to interactions of the released radionuclides with the environment and impacts on human and non-human biota. Here, we scrutinize existing literature and combine and interpret observations and modeling assessments derived after Fukushima. Finally, we discuss the behavior and applications of radionuclides that might be used as tracers of environmental processes. This review focuses on (137)Cs and (131)I releases derived from Fukushima. Published estimates suggest total release amounts of 12-36.7PBq of (137)Cs and 150-160PBq of (131)I. Maximum estimated human mortality due to the Fukushima nuclear accident is 10,000 (due to all causes) and the maximum estimates for lifetime cancer mortality and morbidity are 1500 and 1800, respectively. Studies of plants and animals in the forests of Fukushima have recorded a range of physiological, developmental, morphological, and behavioral consequences of exposure to radioactivity. Some of the effects observed in the exposed populations include the following: hematological aberrations in Fukushima monkeys; genetic, developmental and morphological aberrations in a butterfly; declines in abundances of birds, butterflies and cicadas; aberrant growth forms in trees; and morphological abnormalities in aphids. These findings are discussed from the perspective of conservation biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu
- Department of Physics, Nasarawa State University Keffi, P.M.B 1022 Keffi, Nigeria; Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Baru, Malaysia.
| | - Nikolaos Evangeliou
- Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Department of Atmospheric and Climate Research (ATMOS), Kjeller, Norway
| | - Timothy Alexander Mousseau
- Environment and Sustainability Program, and Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States; Faculty of Biotechnology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Japan
| | - Junwen Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Ahmad Termizi Ramli
- Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Baru, Malaysia
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Radiological dose reconstruction for birds reconciles outcomes of Fukushima with knowledge of dose-effect relationships. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16594. [PMID: 26567770 PMCID: PMC4645120 DOI: 10.1038/srep16594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We reconstructed the radiological dose for birds observed at 300 census sites in the 50-km northwest area affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant over 2011–2014. Substituting the ambient dose rate measured at the census points (from 0.16 to 31 μGy h−1) with the dose rate reconstructed for adult birds of each species (from 0.3 to 97 μGy h−1), we confirmed that the overall bird abundance at Fukushima decreased with increasing total doses. This relationship was directly consistent with exposure levels found in the literature to induce physiological disturbances in birds. Among the 57 species constituting the observed bird community, we found that 90% were likely chronically exposed at a dose rate that could potentially affect their reproductive success. We quantified a loss of 22.6% of the total number of individuals per increment of one unit log10-tansformed total dose (in Gy), over the four-year post-accident period in the explored area. We estimated that a total dose of 0.55 Gy reduced by 50% the total number of birds in the study area over 2011–2014. The data also suggest a significant positive relationship between total dose and species diversity.
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Matsui S, Kasahara S, Morimoto G, Mikami OK, Watanabe M, Ueda K. Radioactive contamination of nest materials of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus due to the Fukushima nuclear accident: The significance in the first year. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2015; 206:159-162. [PMID: 26162335 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident contaminated large areas of eastern and northeastern Japan, releasing vast amounts of radiation. Here we investigated radioactive contamination of the nest materials of the Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus from the breeding season of 2011 directly after the accident to the next breeding season of 2012 at two sites. In Tokyo (222 km southwest of the plant), ambient dose rates in the nestboxes were lower than those in Ibaraki (175 km southwest of the plant), where the levels of 2011 were higher than those of 2012. Further, the amount of radioactive Cs in each nest increased with the increase in nest weight, with a higher increment at Ibaraki than at Tokyo. These data suggested higher nest contamination levels in the breeding season directly after a nuclear accident than in later seasons, and an increment of nest contamination levels via nest materials of birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Matsui
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Tokyo, 171-8501, Japan.
| | - Satoe Kasahara
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Tokyo, 171-8501, Japan
| | - Gen Morimoto
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Tokyo, 171-8501, Japan; Tokyo-bay Ecosystem Research Center, Department of Life Sciences, Toho University, 2-2-1 Funabashi, Chiba, 274-8501, Japan; Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, 115 Konoyama, Abiko, Chiba, 270-1145, Japan
| | - Osamu K Mikami
- Department of Humanities and Regional Science, Hokkaido University of Education, 5-3-1 Ainosato, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 002-8501, Japan
| | - Mamoru Watanabe
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ueda
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Rikkyo University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Tokyo, 171-8501, Japan
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Aliyu AS, Ibrahim U, Akpa CT, Garba NN, Ramli AT. Health and ecological hazards due to natural radioactivity in soil from mining areas of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. ISOTOPES IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH STUDIES 2015; 51:448-468. [PMID: 25848858 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2015.1026339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Nasarawa State is located in north central Nigeria and it is known as Nigeria's home of solid minerals. It is endowed with barite, copper, zinc, tantalite and granite. Continuous releases of mining waste and tailings into the biosphere may result in a build-up of radionuclides in air, water and soil. This work therefore aims to measure the activity concentration levels of primordial radionuclides in the soil/sediment samples collected from selected mines of the mining areas of Nasarawa State. The paper also assesses the radiological and radio ecological impacts of mining activities on the residents of mining areas and their environment. The activity concentrations of primordial radionuclides ((226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K) in the surface soils/sediment samples were determined using sodium iodide-thallium gamma spectroscopy. Seven major mines were considered with 21 samples taken from each of the mines for radiochemistry analysis. The human health hazard assessment was conducted using regulatory methodologies set by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, while the radio ecological impact assessment was conducted using the ERICA tool v. 1.2. The result shows that the activity concentrations of (40)K in the water ways of the Akiri copper and the Azara barite mines are 60 and 67% higher than the world average value for (40)K, respectively. In all mines, the annual effective dose rates (mSv y(-1)) were less than unity, and a maximum annual gonadal dose of 0.58 mSv y(-1) is received at the Akiri copper mine, which is almost twice the world average value for gonadal dose. The external hazard indices for all the mines were less than unity. Our results also show that mollusc-gastropod, insect larvae, mollusc-bivalve and zooplankton are the freshwater biotas with the highest dose rates ranging from 5 to 7 µGy h(-1). These higher dose rates could be associated with zinc and copper mining at Abuni and Akiri, respectively. The most exposed terrestrial reference organisms are lichen and bryophytes. In all cases, the radio ecological risks are not likely to be discernible. This paper presents a pioneer data for ecological risk from ionizing contaminants due to mining activity in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Its methodology could be adopted for future work on radioecology of mining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu
- a Department of Physics , Universiti Teknologi Malaysia , Skudai , Johor , Malaysia
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Bonisoli-Alquati A, Koyama K, Tedeschi DJ, Kitamura W, Sukuzi H, Ostermiller S, Arai E, Møller AP, Mousseau TA. Abundance and genetic damage of barn swallows from Fukushima. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9432. [PMID: 25838205 PMCID: PMC5381690 DOI: 10.1038/srep09432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of studies have assessed or modeled the distribution of the radionuclides released by the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP). Few studies however have investigated its consequences for the local biota. We tested whether exposure of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) nestlings to low dose ionizing radiation increased genetic damage to their peripheral erythrocytes. We estimated external radiation exposure by using thermoluminescent dosimeters, and by measuring radioactivity of the nest material. We then assessed DNA damage by means of the neutral comet assay. In addition, we conducted standard point-count censuses of barn swallows across environmental radiation levels, and estimated their abundance and local age ratio. Radioactivity of nest samples was in the range 479-143,349 Bq kg(-1), while external exposure varied between 0.15 and 4.9 mGy. Exposure to radioactive contamination did not correlate with higher genetic damage in nestlings. However, at higher levels of radioactive contamination the number of barn swallows declined and the fraction of juveniles decreased, indicating lower survival and lower reproduction and/or fledging rate. Thus, genetic damage to nestlings does not explain the decline of barn swallows in contaminated areas, and a proximate mechanism for the demographic effects documented here remains to be clarified.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Bonisoli-Alquati
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - K. Koyama
- Japan Bird Research Association, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - D. J. Tedeschi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - W. Kitamura
- Faculty of Environmental Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama City, Japan
| | - H. Sukuzi
- Value Frontier Co., Ltd., Minato, Tokyo, Japan
| | - S. Ostermiller
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - E. Arai
- Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - A. P. Møller
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, CNRS UMR 8079, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 362, F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - T. A. Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
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