Scots pine as a promising indicator organism for biomonitoring of the polluted environment: A case study on chronically irradiated populations

Publication date: Available online 26 December 2018Source: Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental MutagenesisAuthor(s): Stanislav Geras’kin, Polina Volkova, Denis Vasiliyev, Nina Dikareva, Alla Oudalova, Elizaveta Kazakova, Ekaterina Makarenko, Gustavo Duarte, Alexey KuzmenkovAbstractIn this paper the main results of long-term (2003-2016) observations on Scots pine populations inhabiting sites affected by the Chernobyl accident are presented. Populations growing for many years under chronic radiation exposure are characterized by the enhanced mutation rates, increased genetic diversity, changes in the gene expression and in the level of genome-wide methylation, alterations in the temporal dynamics of cytogenetic abnormalities and genetic structure of populations. However, significant changes at the genetic level had no effects on enzymatic activity, morphological abnormalities, and reproductive ability of pine trees. The results presented increase our understanding of the long-term effects of chronic radiation exposure on plant populations in the wild nature and provide important information for the management and monitoring of radioactively contaminated territories.
Source: Mutation Research Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research