Adaptation to mountain γ-background: bacteria speciation.

Purpose: To study the adaptation of bacteria to the natural γ-background of mountains and anthropogenic emissions from nuclear power plants; to establish the main factors of variability and speciation of bacteria.

Method: Analysis of materials on the radiation background and its impact on living organisms in the landscape of Armenia, calculation of the absorbed dose by microbes due to rock radiation.

Results: The review shows the death, reproduction, radioresistance and speciation of bacteria in changing conditions of low variable natural and anthropogenic γ-background.

Main radiation pathways in the landscape of Armenia.

Purpose: To investigate sources, accumulation, and vertical migration of radionuclides in Armenia, and their impact on biota.

Conclusions: This review describes the radiation status in the landscape of Armenia and features of the impact of natural and human-generated radiation on human and non-human biotas, according to studies of Armenian scientists carried out since the middle of the last century. The mountain landscape demonstrates the diversity, speciation, and radioresistance of the biota, which arise under radiation exposure in a variable environment.

[Bimodal changes in germinability of pea seeds under the influence of low doses of gamma-radiation].

Pea seeds (cv. 'Nemchinovskii-85', harvest of 2002, 80%-germination percentage) were exposed to gamma-radiation with doses ranging from 19 cGy to 100 Gy. One week after the irradiation with doses of 19 cGy and 3 Gy.

[Evaluation of the consequences of stress factors on plant seeds growing in a 30-km zone of Balakovo AES].

The effect of stress factors (small doses of radiation and maximum temperatures in the econiche of the tested plants (tmax)) as well as aging on pea seeds, both acting independently and in combination, is estimated. Here we evaluate the influence of oxidizing stress on pea seeds in the laboratory (gamma-irradiated with 7 cGy at 0.3-19.

[The antioxidant status of the seeds in populations of the great plantain (Plantago major L.) growing in an area exposed to the Balakovo Atomic Electric Power Station and to chemical enterprises].

The results of the determination of radionuclide and chemical (multielement analysis) soil pollution are presented. The data on antioxidant status of plantain (Plantago major L.) in conjunction with the data on radionuclide and chemical pollution are analyzed.