Microorganisms associated with feathers of barn swallows in radioactively contaminated areas around chernobyl.

Microbial Ecology
Gábor Arpád CzirjákP Heeb

Abstract

The Chernobyl catastrophe provides a rare opportunity to study the ecological and evolutionary consequences of low-level, environmental radiation on living organisms. Despite some recent studies about negative effects of environmental radiation on macroorganisms, there is little knowledge about the effect of radioactive contamination on diversity and abundance of microorganisms. We examined abundance patterns of total cultivable bacteria and fungi and the abundance of feather-degrading bacterial subset present on feathers of barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), a colonial migratory passerine, around Chernobyl in relation to levels of ground level environmental radiation. After controlling for confounding variables, total cultivable bacterial loads were negatively correlated with environmental radioactivity, whereas abundance of fungi and feather-degrading bacteria was not significantly related to contamination levels. Abundance of both total and feather-degrading bacteria increased with barn swallow colony size, showing a potential cost of sociality. Males had lower abundance of feather-degrading bacteria than females. Our results show the detrimental effects of low-level environmental radiation on total cultivable bacterial assemb...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 5, 2013·Die Naturwissenschaften·Gábor Arpád CzirjákPhilipp Heeb
Sep 4, 2012·Behavioural Processes·M GiraudeauP Heeb
Nov 2, 2011·The Journal of Animal Ecology·A P MøllerJ J Soler
Aug 20, 2016·Die Naturwissenschaften·Magdalena Ruiz-RodríguezJuan J Soler
Mar 16, 2016·Scientific Reports·Mario Xavier Ruiz-GonzálezPhilipp Heeb
Mar 14, 2018·Molecular Ecology·Staffan JacobPhilipp Heeb
Apr 16, 2019·FEMS Microbiology Ecology·Cristina Ruiz-CastellanoJuan José Soler
Jul 1, 2017·PloS One·Magdalena Ruiz-RodríguezJuan J Soler
May 7, 2021·Molecular Ecology·Anton LavrinienkoTapio Mappes

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