Reduced Abundance Of Insects And Spiders Linked To Radiation At Chernobyl 20 Years After The Accident

Effects of low-level radiation on the abundance of animals are poorly known. We conducted standardized censuses of bumblebees, butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies and spider webs at forest sites around Chernobyl differing in background radiation by over four orders of magnitude. Abundance of invertebrates decreased with increasing radiation, even after controlling for effects of soil type, habitat and height of vegetation.

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Filed under: Radiology on March 31st, 2009