Life ain’t easy being a songbird in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). New research has looked into the birds inhabiting the irradiated wasteland and found a link between radiation levels and their gut microbiome, suggesting their health is being impacted by their troubled homeland.
The CEZ is a highly contaminated area in Ukraine surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the infamous meltdown on April 26, 1986. Since its abandonment 38 years ago, biodiversity has blossomed in the absence of human activity despite the high levels of radiation. A handful of fascinating studies have investigated the CEZ’s wildlife, but few have analyzed the ways radiological contamination is affecting the development of birds.
“The consequences of radiological contamination to wildlife are still widely unknown, especially the risks posed to wildlife in early life,” Sameli Piirto, a PhD researcher at the University of Jyväskylä, said in a statement.
“Radiological contamination creates an additional stressor that organisms must cope with, leading to a myriad of consequences that are not yet fully understood. Studying the effects of it is crucial if humanity is to pursue an even more nuclear future,” the Finnish researcher explained.
In the new study, Piirto and his team looked at the way the irradiated environment was impacting two common European songbird species: the great tit (Parus major) and the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). Several bird boxes were placed in two different regions, one with high radiological contamination and another with relatively low contamination, and the avian inhabitants were compared using a bunch of tests.
While fewer nests were occupied in the highly contaminated areas, there were no significant differences in breeding ecology or nestling health. Equally surprising, the birds in the contaminated areas had a higher diversity of insects in their diet.
However, some key distinctions were spotted. DNA samples of the birds’ poop showed the composition of their gut microbiome – a key determinant of health – and provided further insight into how the radiation might be impacting the birds. Interestingly, environmental radiation levels did not affect the variety of bacteria present in the gut microbiome, but they did influence the proportions of different types of bacteria within it.
“These results create an interesting background for understanding avian ecology in radiologically contaminated areas. They give us valuable novel information on the effects that radiation has on juvenile birds – an area of research that has been unclear until now,” said Piirto.
The differences may seem subtle, but other research has indicated that radiation is affecting the birds of the CEZ in a much more profound way. A 2011 analysis of 550 birds belonging to 48 species living near Chernobyl had smaller heads and brains as a result of low-level radiation hampering their development. They even speculated whether it was having an impact on their cognitive abilities.
The new research was presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Prague this week.
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