Genetic diversity of Clethrionomys glareolus populations from highly contaminated sites in the Chornobyl region, Ukraine

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry 2000-08, Vol.19 (8), p.2130-2135
• Main Authors: Matson, Cole W., Rodgers, Brenda E., Chesser, Ronald K., Baker, Robert J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Chornobyl; Clethrionomys; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Evolutionary toxicology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Mammalia; Population genetics; Population genetics, reproduction patterns; Radiation; Vertebrata
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.5620190824

At radioactive sites, at least two mechanisms may affect the genetic diversity of populations of a given species. Increased mutation rates due to radiation exposure may increase the amount of genetic diversity in a population. Alternatively, population bottlenecks exacerbated by environmental degradation may lead to a reduction of diversity. The relationship between these two contradictory forces is complex. To explore this relationship, long‐term monitoring of a genetic marker within a population is needed. To provide baseline data on the population genetics of the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) living in the most contaminated regions at Chornobyl, Ukraine, we have sequenced 291 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA control region. Bank voles were chosen as a model system because they have the highest levels of internal dose of cesium‐134, cesium‐137, and strontium‐90 within the Chornobyl exclusion zone. We sampled three geographic sites, which were Oranoe, a reference site with virtually no radioactive contamination (