Moller A P, Mousseau T A
Laboratoire de Parasitologie Evolutive, CNRS UMR 7103, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Bâtiment A, 7ème étage, 7 quai St Bernard, Case 237, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Biol Lett. 2007 Oct 22;3(5):483-6. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0226.
The effects of low-level radiation on the abundance of animals are poorly known, as are the effects on ecosystems and their functioning. Recent conclusions from the UN Chernobyl forum and reports in the popular media concerning the effects of radiation from Chernobyl on animals have left the impression that the Chernobyl exclusion zone is a thriving ecosystem, filled with an increasing number of rare species. Surprisingly, there are no standardized censuses of common animals in relation to radiation, leaving the question about the ecological effects of radiation unresolved. We conducted standardized point counts of breeding birds at forest sites around Chernobyl differing in level of background radiation by over three orders of magnitude. Species richness, abundance and population density of breeding birds decreased with increasing level of radiation, even after controlling statistically for the effects of potentially confounding factors such as soil type, habitat and height of the vegetation. This effect was differential for birds eating soil invertebrates living in the most contaminated top soil layer. These results imply that the ecological effects of Chernobyl on animals are considerably greater than previously assumed.
低水平辐射对动物数量的影响鲜为人知，其对生态系统及其功能的影响同样如此。联合国切尔诺贝利论坛最近得出的结论以及大众媒体上有关切尔诺贝利辐射对动物影响的报道给人留下了这样的印象：切尔诺贝利禁区是一个蓬勃发展的生态系统，珍稀物种数量不断增加。令人惊讶的是，目前尚无关于常见动物与辐射关系的标准化普查，这使得辐射的生态影响问题仍未得到解决。我们在切尔诺贝利周边森林地区对繁殖鸟类进行了标准化定点计数，这些地区的背景辐射水平相差三个数量级以上。即使在对土壤类型、栖息地和植被高度等潜在混杂因素的影响进行统计控制之后，繁殖鸟类的物种丰富度、数量和种群密度仍随着辐射水平的升高而下降。对于以生活在污染最严重的表层土壤中的土壤无脊椎动物为食的鸟类，这种影响存在差异。这些结果表明，切尔诺贝利对动物的生态影响比之前设想的要大得多。
