Chernobyl’s songbirds reveal nuclear radiation’s effects on wildlife

Researchers studied the songbirds of Chernobyl and uncovered the surprising impact that radiation has had on their diets and gut microbiomes.

Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä, Finnish, investigated two species of songbirds already well-known to science and present in Chernobyl: the Great tit ( Parus major ) and Pied Flycatcher ( Ficedula hypoleuca ).

“Our hypothesis was that biodiversity in contaminated areas would be compromised leading to changes in birds breeding, diet and gut microbiome,” said Mr. Sameli Piirt, a PhD researcher involved in the research that seeks to shed light on the long-term effects that nuclear accidents have on wildlife.

The study on guts and microbiome songbirds in Chernobyl

Placing nest boxes in high and low-contamination areas in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, researchers monitored the songbirds’ behavior and collected fecal samples to gather information about their diet and gut.

The songbirds naturally gravitated to nests in both zones equally, so radiation levels didn’t seem to affect their choices as to where to nest. Furthermore, the researchers didn’t find in either species any major changes concerning their breeding ecology or nesting health.

Interestingly enough, “surprisingly,” even, according to the press release, the nestlings had access to a higher diversity of insects in their diet in the contaminated zones.

As for their gut health, radiation levels didn’t seem to impact the bacterial make-up in their gut. However, radiation did seem to change the relative composition of the microbiome, the press release stated.

“These results create an interesting background for understanding avian ecology in radiologically contaminated areas,” says Mr Piirto.

“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.”

Radiation does affect wildlife long-term

The disaster of Chernobyl in 1986 continues to be remembered as a global tragedy. However, on the positive end, it is one of two human-free zones in the world, Fukushima, the other. They remain off-limits because of the pervasive threat of radiation . The impact on wildlife long-term, however, remains unknown.

Thus, as a radiologically contaminated area, researchers have taken the opportunity to study — as it turns out, areas of Chernobyl have become more like a natural reserve — wildlife currently inhabiting the area.

Even if Chernobyl, surprisingly, is brimming with life , this research suggests that highly contaminated areas affect the make-up of the guts in birds, even if life miraculously adapts and survives. Science thus stands to learn more about what radiation does and how the biology of wildlife naturally responds .

As the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US states , the Earth naturally produces radiation, exposing us to radioactive materials every day. However, the effects of nuclear accidents such as the tragedy that occurred at Chernobyl have not yet sufficiently been studied.

“Radiological contamination creates an additional stressor that organisms must cope with, leading to a myriad of consequences not yet fully understood,” Mr Piirto concluded in a press release . “Studying the effects of it is crucial if humanity is to pursue an even more nuclear future.”