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What is the context of this research? 

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster released over >15,000 lbs of radioactive material into the atmosphere, devastating local villages and surrounding ecosystems.  Much of the radiation settled into the nearby landscape called the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), an area now evacuated by humans and inhabited by wildlife.  Radioecologists have been working diligently to understand the effects of the lasting radiation contamination, yet we are still uncertain of the implications of long-term contaminant exposure.  Carnivores such as wolves and raccoon dogs accumulate high levels of contaminants, providing unique model organisms for understanding long-term health effects of living in radiologically contaminated landscapes. 

What is the significance of this project? 

As nuclear power increases, the risk of radioactive contamination (e.g. Fukushima, and Chernobyl) is increasing.  High-level, short-term radiation exposure can lower survival and impact things such as immune function in mammals.  However, effects of long-term exposure remain unknown. 

Carnivores in the CEZ accumulate radiation burdens a hundred times higher than safeguards established by the EU for consumption of food products, yet our data will provide some of the first insights into the biological impacts this exposure is having on these populations.  By incorporating two carnivore species with variable spatial requirements and life history traits, we can more thoroughly understand the effects of radiation exposure on a diversity of wildlife. 

What are the goals of the project? 

To investigate health impacts of radiation exposure through quantifying disease and parasite rates in carnivores, I will collect blood, tissue, and fecal samples from wolves or raccoon dogs that will be trapped and collared as part of a separate ongoing study in the CEZ (Oct-Dec 2016).  I will use established techniques (fecal floats, antibody staining, qPCR) to investigate the presence of specific intestinal parasites, pathogen antibodies, and viral nucleic acids relative to each individual's level of radiation exposure.  I will also retrieve samples from regions with background levels of radiation throughout Belarus (collected 2014-16, awaiting transport to the US) to better compare disease and parasite prevalence in high and low radiation contaminated regions.