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.2020 Oct 28;287(1937):20201638.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1638. Epub 2020 Oct 21.

Chernobyl-level radiation exposure damages bumblebee reproduction: a laboratory experiment

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Chernobyl-level radiation exposure damages bumblebee reproduction: a laboratory experiment

Katherine E Raines et al. Proc Biol Sci..

Abstract

The consequences for wildlife of living in radiologically contaminated environments are uncertain. Previous laboratory studies suggest insects are relatively radiation-resistant; however, some field studies from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone report severe adverse effects at substantially lower radiation dose rates than expected. Here, we present the first laboratory investigation to study how environmentally relevant radiation exposure affects bumblebee life history, assessing the shape of the relationship between radiation exposure and fitness loss. Dose rates comparable to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (50-400 µGy h-1) impaired bumblebee reproduction and delayed colony growth but did not affect colony weight or longevity. Our best-fitting model for the effect of radiation dose rate on colony queen production had a strongly nonlinear concave relationship: exposure to only 100 µGy h-1 impaired reproduction by 30-45%, while further dose rate increases caused more modest additional reproductive impairment. Our data indicate that the practice of estimating effects of environmentally relevant low-dose rate exposure by extrapolating from high-dose rates may have considerably underestimated the effects of radiation. If our data can be generalized, they suggest insects suffer significant negative consequences at dose rates previously thought safe; we therefore advocate relevant revisions to the international framework for radiological protection of the environment.

Keywords: environmental contamination; environmental protection; insect; ionizing radiation; life history.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare we have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Predicted radiosensitivity of each reference animal and plant (RAP) based on the derived consideration reference levels (DCRLs) established by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) [23]. DCRLs predict the dose rate range within which radiation is likely to start having deleterious effects (mortality, morbidity or reproduction) on an individual organism [23]. Estimated dose rates for the present-day Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are demonstrated for context (Chernobyl dose rates are now chronic and low, approximately 1% of those at the time of the accident in 1986) [26]. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The impact of radiation on bumblebee colony queen production (n = 59). Plotted points are partial residuals from a negative binomial model with a log-transformed dose rate predictor. The fitted line with 95% confidence intervals is derived from the model. The vertical dotted line indicates the upper limit of dose rates known to occur in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone [26].Y-axis is offset from zero to show control colony data effectively.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The effect of radiation on bumblebee colony ability to produce males and workers, for colonies of different starting weight. Colonies were put into three start weight groups (low, mid and high) of approximately equal sample size (n = 20, 20, 19, respectively) to maintain equivalent statistical power for each. The points and fitted lines are derived from a negative binomial model containing a log-transformed dose rate predictor and its interaction with colony starting weight (specified as a three-level factor). While the negative effect of radiation was individually significant for the lighter colonies, the positive slopes for mid-weight and the heaviest colonies were not significant (see the text). The shaded area around the fitted lines represents the 95% confidence interval.Y-axis is offset from zero to show control colony data effectively.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
The effect of radiation on the number of experimental weeks it took bumblebee colonies to reach peak weight (week 4 or 5). The fitted line is the predicted relationship from a binomial generalized linear model; the shaded area shows the 95% confidence intervals. The dotted line indicates the upper limit of dose rates measured in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Tick marks at the top and bottom of the figure show raw data points.
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