Chernobyl & Fukushima Wildlife Research

SPATIAL ECOLOGY AND SUB-LETHAL EFFECTS OF CHRONIC RADIATION EXPOSURE IN GRAY WOLVES

SREL Collaborators: Jim Beasley, Stacey Lance, Sarah Webster, Mike Byrne, Peter Schlichting, Cara Love

Outside Collaborators: Tom Hinton (Fukushima University), Dima Shamovich (Belarussian researcher), Valery Dombrovski (Belarus National Academy of Sciences)

We are working with researchers from the Belarus National Academy of Sciences and biologists at the Polyese State Radioecological Reserve to study individual and population level effects of radiation on gray wolves (Canis lupus), raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides), and other large mammals in the CEZ. In collaboration with the French Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, we have developed a new scientific tool that collects an animal’s location and short-term integrated dose and attached these units to gray wolves within the CEZ. These collars will allow us to quantify the spatial and temporal variation in radiation levels that wild, free-ranging animals experience in areas surrounding nuclear accidents. In addition, using these data and data collected from collars placed on other species in the CEZ, we are currently studying the spatial ecology of carnivores in the CEZ. Using samples collected from captured individuals we also are conducting various health assessments to quantify the sub-lethal effects of chronic radiation exposure in apex predators living in habitats surrounding Chernobyl.

OCCUPANCY, POPULATION DYNAMICS, AND SCAVENGING ECOLOGY OF CARNIVORES IN THE CHERNOBYL EXCLUSION ZONE

SREL Collaborators: Jim Beasley, Sarah Webster, Stacey Lance, Mike Byrne, Peter Schlichting, Cara Love

Outside Collaborators: Tom Hinton (Fukushima University), Dima Shamovich (Belarussian researcher), Valery Dombrovski (Belarus National Academy of Sciences)

Since the evacuation of humans from the landscape surrounding Chernobyl in 1986, wildlife populations have persisted throughout the exclusion zone, including some of the most severely contaminated areas. Yet, to date no studies have quantified the distribution or abundance of large mammals in the CEZ, particularly in relation to the distribution of radiation contamination. Such information is greatly needed to develop appropriate safeguards for wildlife within the CEZ and other areas contaminated with radiation. We are currently investigating the impacts of varying levels of chronic radiation exposure on the occurrence, distribution, and abundance of several wildlife species within the CEZ in Belarus. Specifically, we are using a combination of scent stations, scat surveys, and unbaited motion activated cameras to survey populations of gray wolves, raccoon dogs, Eurasian lynx, European brown bear, European badger, pine marten, red fox, wild boar, przwalski’s horses, and other species within the CEZ. In addition, we are using remote cameras to elucidate the composition of vertebrate scavenger communities within the CEZ. Data collected from the surveys will be used to determine how different levels of radiation exposure may affect population dynamics such as occupancy, distribution, and abundance for each of the species of interest.

USE OF ABANDONED STRUCTURES BY PRZEWALSKI’S WILD HORSES AND OTHER WILDLIFE IN THE CEZ

SREL Collaborators: Jim Beasley, Peter Schlichting

Outside Collaborators: Valery Dombrovski (Belarus National Academy of Sciences)

Przewalski’s wild horses (Equus ferus przewalski) are an endangered species and current conservation efforts aim to maintain genetic diversity and reintroduce wild populations. From 1998-2004, 36 Przewalski’s wild horses were introduced in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) with no subsequent direct management, and current population size and genetic diversity are unknown. We are using remote cameras positioned at the entrance of abandoned structures within the CEZ to elucidate use of these structures by Przewalski’s horses and other large mammals to assess the use of this method for monitoring the horse population within the CEZ. The congregation of horses in these structures could have implications for future monitoring of the population by providing detailed information on demographics, population size, and genetic diversity which would benefit management plans for this population and provide a baseline for future work.

EFFECTS OF HUMAN HABITATION ON THE OCCUPANCY, ABUNDANCE, ACTIVITY PATTERNS, AND SPATIAL ECOLOGY OF WILDLIFE IN FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN

SREL Collaborators: Jim Beasley, Phillip Lyons, Matt Hamilton

Outside Collaborators: Tom Hinton (Fukushima University), Kei Okuda

Following the Chernobyl nuclear accident many large mammal species increased in abundance, likely due to the removal of humans from the landscape. However, many questions remain regarding how quickly populations increased, and the extent to which chronic radiation exposure may be impacting wildlife in areas impacted by nuclear accidents. We are currently conducting a number of studies within the Fukushima Exclusion Zone to better understand the extent to which radiation exposure, and the evacuation of humans from the landscape, are influencing the community composition, population dynamics, movements, and health of wildlife. Through the use of remote cameras and GPS collars, this study aims to determine the distribution and relative abundance of wildlife in and around the Fukushima exclusion zone. We are placing remote cameras along game trails or travel corridors in upland and lowland habitats, as well as within the human exclusion zone and surrounding populated landscape to elucidate the community composition and abundance patterns of wildlife. We also are attaching GPS collars to civets, raccoons, and other wildlife species to determine the activity and movement patterns of these species within the human evacuation zone. These data will provide unique insights into the response of wildlife populations to the evacuation of humans from the landscape, data that will serve as baseline assessments for future monitoring efforts, as well as important data from which radiation-effects studies can be based.

EFFECTS OF ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITY ON THE EFFICIENCY AND COMPOSITION OF VERTEBRATE SCAVENGING COMMUNITIES IN FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN

SREL Collaborators: Jim Beasley, Hannah Gerke

Outside Collaborators: Tom Hinton (Fukushima University), Kei Okuda

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in 2011 resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from affected areas in Fukushima, Japan. The drastic decrease in human activity on the landscape may have repercussions for ecosystem functions. Previous research conducted in Chernobyl has shown that despite radioactive contamination, wildlife populations in the CEZ responded positively to the lack of human presence. Similarly, preliminary data from Fukushima suggest wildlife communities in the Exclusion Zone differ from the surrounding populated areas. Native scavengers like wild boar (Sus scrofa) and Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) are substantially more abundant in areas of limited human activity. Such differences in wildlife community composition among areas of varying human presence could have important implications for scavenging efficiency and energy distribution within the food web. By studying how anthropogenic activities influence food web dynamics, we can understand the extent to which human presence results in cascading effects on ecosystem services like carcass removal and nutrient cycling. Using remote game cameras placed at carcasses in different habitats, we are recording scavenging activity inside the Exclusion Zone as well as the surrounding landscape in order to:

1.   Test for effects of carcass size and habitat on the detection rates and composition of scavenger communities.

2.   Determine if scavenger community composition and scavenging activity patterns vary between areas of high and low human activity, and how this impacts the efficiency of carcass removal.

RADIOCESIUM ACCUMULATION AND SPATIAL ECOLOGY OF ELAPHE SPP. IN FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN

SREL Collaborators: Jim Beasley, Hannah Gerke

Outside Collaborators: Tom Hinton (Fukushima University), Tsugiko Takase (Fukushima University)

Snakes are an important part of the food web in many ecosystems, but are vulnerable to bioaccumulation of contaminants due to their small home ranges and relatively long lives. Although snakes in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone (FEZ) are likely chronically exposed to elevated radiation levels due to their trophic position and close contact with contaminated soil, they remain understudied. This study will be the first to quantify radionuclide burdens in snakes inhabiting the FEZ and surrounding areas, and will reveal the efficacy of using OSL dosimeters with GPS transmitters to track radiation dose accumulation in snakes. Results from this approach could elucidate the relationship between environmental radiation and radiocesium in the food web. Little is known about habitat selection in Japanese rat snakes – and those in the FEZ are especially unique due to the changes in the landscape after the 2011 nuclear accident and subsequent evacuation of humans. Understanding how species-specific life history traits affect movement and habitat use in snakes could help elucidate patterns of radiocesium accumulation from exposure to background environmental contamination. Our objectives in this study are to:

1.   Compare radiocesium activity levels in snakes in the FEZ and nearby control areas across multiple species.

2.   Test the efficacy of dosimeters attached to GPS transmitters for quantifying radiation accumulation patterns in snakes.

3.   Elucidate the movement behavior and resource selection of Elaphe spp. inhabiting the FEZ.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH OF WILD BOAR IN FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN

SREL Collaborators: Jim Beasley, Sarah Chinn

Outside Collaborators: Tom Hinton (Fukushima University), Hiroki Ishiniwa (Fukushima University), Jodi Flaws (University of Illinois), Rao Veeramachaneni (Colorado State University)

With the increasing global reliance on nuclear power, one particularly concerning anthropogenic stressor known to impact reproduction is chronic exposure to radiation in the environment. Extensive anthropogenic inputs of radionuclides have occurred through nuclear weapons testing, maintenance of nuclear power plants and nuclear accidents such as those in Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima Daiichi (2011). Reproduction is thought to be the most sensitive parameter reducing the abundance of wildlife populations exposed to radiation. However, no studies have quantified variability in reproduction in wild large mammals while accounting for any potential confounding effects of radiation exposure. Biomedical studies on humans have shown that exposure to radiation may affect reproduction of both sexes. Chronic exposure to radiation is not well understood but may increase the rate of deleterious mutations across subsequent generations and may increase disease susceptibility, thus decreasing survival and reproductive success of individuals and across populations. To date, no studies have assessed the reproductive health of large, wild mammals in the areas of nuclear accidents. To address this research gap, we are collecting reproductive tissue samples from male and female wild boar within the Fukushima Exclusion Zone and surrounding area to assess the reproductive health of wild boar chronically exposed to radiation.