[ RadSafe ] Article on Chernobyl

[Dan W McCarn]

Given the return of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to our furry and feathered
friends, no longer predated on by human beans, perhaps the explanation might
be simply that in the protected area, more insectivores are present.  The
insect population my also be strongly affected by the distribution of summer
thunderstorm rainfall as was the pattern of radionuclide distribution (wet /
dry deposition - washout / fallout)

Dan ii

--

Dan W McCarn, Geologist
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+33.(0).1.74.09.03.09 (Home) 
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-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
Of Maury Siskel
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 23:04
To: Peter Bossew
Cc: Conklin, Al (DOH); radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Article on Chernobyl

Has anyone thought to investigate possible parallel changes  in 
populations of natural predators of the species thought to be in decline 
as a function of radioactivity or other Chernobyl contamination?  
Natural equilibria are not instantaneous phenomena ....  just wondering 
-- there just might be a lot of hungry birds flying around that area ......
Best,
Maury&Dog  [MaurySiskel  maurysis at peoplepc.com]

=====================
Peter Bossew wrote:

>Here is the abstract:
>
>  
>
>Reduced abundance of insects and spiders linked to radiation at Chernobyl
>20 years after the accident
>   1. Anders Pape Møller1,* and
>   2. Timothy A Mousseau2  
>
> 1 Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Sud
>      CNRS UMR 8079, Bâtiment 362, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
>      
>2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina
>      Columbia, SC 29208, USA
>
>   1. Author for correspondence (anders.moller at u-psud.fr)
>
>Abstract
>
>Effects of low-level radiation on abundance of animals are poorly known.
>We conducted standardized point counts and line transects of bumble-bees,
>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,
>  
>
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