Does long-term radiation exposure in Chornobyl impact the reproductive structures of Nuphar lutea (Linné) Smith?

The 1986 Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident caused radioactive contamination of water bodies within the Pripyat River floodplain, resulting in the accumulation of radionuclides by macrophytes, which are fundamental species in water ecosystems. Yellow water lily Nuphar lutea (L.) Smith.

Complexity of responses to ionizing radiation in plants, and the impact on interacting biotic factors.

In nature, plants are simultaneously exposed to different abiotic (e.g., heat, drought, and salinity) and biotic (e.

Biodiversity of Duckweed (Lemnaceae) in Water Reservoirs of Ukraine and China Assessed by Chloroplast DNA Barcoding.

Monitoring and characterizing species biodiversity is essential for germplasm preservation, academic studies, and various practical applications. Duckweeds represent a group of tiny aquatic plants that include 36 species divided into 5 genera within the Lemnaceae family. They are an important part of aquatic ecosystems worldwide, often covering large portions of the water reservoirs they inhabit, and have many potential applications, including in bioremediation, biofuels, and biomanufacturing.

Transcriptional Changes in the Ovaries of Perch from Chernobyl.

Fish have been highly exposed to radiation in freshwater systems after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident in 1986 and in freshwater and marine systems after the more recent Fukushima NPP accident in 2011. In the years after the accident, the radioactivity levels rapidly declined due to radioactive decay and environmental processes, but chronic lower dose exposures persisted. To gain insights into the long-term effects of environmental low dose radiation on fish ovaries development, a high-throughput transcriptomic approach including a de novo assembly was applied to different gonad phenotypes of female perch: developed gonads from reference lakes, developed/irradiated from medium contaminated lake, and both developed/irradiated and undeveloped from more highly contaminated lakes.

Chronic radiation exposure at Chernobyl shows no effect on genetic diversity in the freshwater crustacean, thirty years on.

Analysis of genetic diversity represents a fundamental component of ecological risk assessments in contaminated environments. Many studies have assessed the genetic implications of chronic radiation exposure at Chernobyl, generally recording an elevated genetic diversity and mutation rate in rodents, plants, and birds inhabiting contaminated areas. Only limited studies have considered genetic diversity in aquatic biota at Chernobyl, despite the large number of freshwater systems where elevated dose rates will persist for many years.

Impact of Environmental Radiation on the Health and Reproductive Status of Fish from Chernobyl.

Aquatic organisms at Chernobyl have now been chronically exposed to environmental radiation for three decades. The biological effects of acute exposure to radiation are relatively well documented, but much less is known about the long-term effects of chronic exposure of organisms in their natural environment. Highly exposed fish in freshwater systems at Chernobyl showed morphological changes in their reproductive system in the years after the accident.

Reproduction in the freshwater crustacean Asellus aquaticus along a gradient of radionuclide contamination at Chernobyl.

Nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima have led to contamination of the environment that will persist for many years. The consequences of chronic low-dose radiation exposure for non-human organisms inhabiting contaminated environments remain unclear. In radioecology, crustaceans are important model organisms for the development of environmental radioprotection.

Does Chernobyl-derived radiation impact the developmental stability of Asellus aquaticus 30years on?

Effects of long-term, environmentally relevant doses of radiation on biota remain unclear due to a lack of studies following chronic exposure in contaminated environments. The 1986 Chernobyl accident dispersed vast amounts of radioactivity into the environment which persists to date. Despite three decades of research, impacts of the incident on non-human organisms continues to be contested within the scientific literature.