The first hypothesis proposed that “mammal abundances are negatively correlated with levels of radioactive contamination at Chernobyl” (Deryabina et al., 2015). To test this hypothesis, the researchers conducted censuses of the large mammal populations by observing tracks in fresh snow along walking routes. The track surveys were conducted shortly after snowfall on a single day in February with only fresh tracks counted, counting the number of tracks of each species on each route with a total distance of 315 kilometers and an average track length of nine kilometers. This method of data collecting did not provide absolute density information of the mammal populations, but provided data on relative mammal activity. The researchers compared average track counts per ten kilometers to compare different routes within the reserve in terms of animal activity. The researchers also characterized the habitat and radiation parameters …show more content…
When the average number of tracks was analyzed as a function of radiocaesium contamination level, the data did not suggest evidence of a negative influence of radiation on mammal abundance. The researchers used linear mixed models with repeated measures for each species to evaluate the influence of habitat and radiation level on mammal densities. The statistical models rejected radioactive contamination as an important predictor of density for all species included in the study. In conclusion, the data did not support this first hypothesis. The researchers note that census data does not give direct information on population metrics, but the likelihood of depressed populations in highly contaminated areas being supported by the influx and habitat use of individuals from less contaminated areas is extremely
Isle Royal is located fifty-six miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It is the largest wilderness area in Michigan (USNPS, 2014). The island is surrounded by Lake Superior, which creates a cooler temperature. This results in arctic plant species growth on the island. There are only eighteen mammal species present on the island because most mammals cannot make the trip across the frozen great lake (USNPS, 2014). The need for an ice bridge is not the only environmental factor that is stopping the migration of animals; there is also the severe cold, and also wind and fog (Vucetich, 2012). Some species such as caribou and coyote have found the island to be too intense and have gone extinct (Vucetich, 2012). Due to the harsh weather and isolation of the island, humans have never regularly lived on the island (Vucetich, 2012). Some of species that are present such as the red squirrel are becoming their own subspecies due to its separation from the mainland (USNPS, 2014). The isolation of Isle Royal is what makes it a great place to conduct research, it has very low human interaction and the species that are on the island will have been and continue to be isolated from the mainland.
Writing a short article (maximum 1000 words) on the problems and complexities of using tracks and signs to determine presence (and absence) of mammal species (25%)
The Chernobyl Nuclear has also affected the environment. Such as the food products in the Forest like mushrooms, berries containing high levels of long-lived radioactive caesium and this pollution is expected to remain high for several decades or so. For example, the accident led to high pollution of caribou meat in Scandinavia. Water bodies and fishes became polluted as well with radioactive materials. The accident has actually affected many animals and plants living within 30-40 km of the . There was an increase in mortality as in increasing of deaths in an area and a decrease in reproduction and some genetic anomalies in plants and animals are still reported
...life within the zone everywhere has been thriving. Wolves have returned giving the ecosystem the right balance, and the many animals that contribute to the regrowth or rebirth of the wilderness around the now dead city and nuclear power plant, Prypiat and the old Soviet Union nuclear reactor: Chernobyl. What many human beings all around the world see as a nuclear wasteland, Animals who live in the Exclusion Zone might actually find it like paradise. Since nineteen eighty-six, humans have been absent in this place, and in the very short time the wilderness has taken back the city of Prypiat and the Nuclear Plant just a few miles away. Minimal and no mutations at all gives you the largest packed area in the world with such a biodiversity of animals that the human nuclear wasteland is become an animal sanctuary: even protected by one of man’s worst fear… Radiation.
Our freshman class has been studying ecology and the wolf and moose population on Isle Royale this unit. We have gone through packets and models to learn more about how organisms have relations with one another in their physical surroundings. On top of that, we have gone through case studies and videos to learn more about the wolves and moose on the island. Throughout our investigation we had built a graph showing the populations of the moose and wolves. As we reached the end of our unit, our class was presented with a question:are the moose and wolf population on Isle Royale stable? I believe that the two populations are unstable because of the constant temporary disturbances, the inability to calculate a carrying capacity, and the lack of a pattern between predator and prey.
One of the biggest and longest lasting environmental impacts of the detonation of the atomic bomb is the radiation contaminations that are left over. These contaminations spread into water, air, animals, soil and into the atmosphere. What’s worse is that these contaminations have materials that have very long half-life meaning that their radiation effects do not decay quickly. “Many of the substances released, including plutonium, uranium, strontium, cesium, benzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury and cyanide, are carcinogenic and/or mutagenic and remain hazardous for thousands, some for hundreds of thousands, of year” (The Effects of nuclear weapons). The spread of these contaminates will cause significant health risks to animals ca...
A particular ecosystem is home to a number of species and as these begin to go into a rapid decline following the loss of their habitat, a more aggressive species might take the opportunity and move in. Interviewer Brian Todd said- ‘‘ Growing pressure to develop public lands for renewable energy production places several protected species at increased risk of habitat loss. One example is the Mojave desert tortoise, a species often at the center of conflicts over public land development. For this species and others on public lands, a better understanding of their habitat needs can help minimize negative impacts and facilitate protection or restoration of habitat. We used radio-telemetry to track 46 neonate and juvenile tortoises in the Eastern Mojave Desert, California, USA, to quantify habitat at tortoise locations and paired random points to assess habitat selection. Tortoise locations near burrows were more likely to be under canopy cover and had greater coverage of perennial plants, more coverage by washes, a greater number of small-mammal burrows, and fewer white bursage than random points. Active tortoise locations away from burrows were closer to washes and perennial
Unfortunately, they are an endangered species due to urban and agricultural development that has caused a massive habitat breakup (1). The population of the Kangaroo rat has plummeted in the 20th century with over 95 percent of the former range of this species has been lost due to a mixture of overgrazing, mining operations, cultivation and the introduction of exoti...
Flanary, W. (2008). Environment effects of the Chernobyl accident. Retrieved November 1st, 2013 from /http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/152617
Thousands of years ago, hunting may have been the cause of the extinction of the North American large land mammals. “Moving up into the 1940’s and 50’s some of today’s most prominent game animals were almost non-existent.”(Kerry G) Over-hunting will directly cause the decline in the particular animal’s species. This will effect everything around it, for example ...
Both the snow leopard and the green turtle are classified as endangered under the IUCN red list with decreasing population trends. Both live in very different habita...
The impact alpine development has on vegetation growth and soil composition adversely affects native wildlife populations. In a study done by researchers for the Journal of Applied Ecology, it was confirmed that habitat alterations, specifically the density of ski lifts and reduction of native vegetation growth, have significant negative impacts on wildlife abundance. The researchers focused specifically on the black grouse, an indicator species in the alpine timberline region where many winter recreation facilities concentrate and were able to provide quantitative evidence that chairlifts and winter sports have negative impacts on alpine indicator species. Through a complicated model, they were able to determine that black grouse abundance in ski resorts is approximately 36% lower than natural areas (Patthey, 1708). In another study, it was found that alteration of vegetation composition and structure when making ski runs suppresses reptile populations (Sato, 319). Ski resort’s modifications of native vegetation have significantly impacted the abundance of fauna as far as up to 1500 meters away. The development of facilities results in several factors that influence wildlife abundance: habitat alteration, higher predation rate, increased disturbance by humans which induces high-stress levels, and increased mortality from collision with cables
Environmental damage was widespread immediately following the incident, ranging from fauna and vegetation to rivers and lakes and all the way down to the groundwater. The amount of the damage led scientists and government officials to the statement that the Chernobyl danger zone had been injected with enough radioactive fallout to harm the ecosystem for more than six decades. This initial assessment could not be farther from the truth as wildlife abounds in even the most affected areas of Chernobyl no more than 20 years after the disaster.
Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.
In nature radioactive material occurs either as naturally in the form of radioactive isotopes in rocks or as a consequence of human release such as during nuclear testing, normal maintenance of nuclear power plants and nuclear accidents such as those at Chernobyl and Fukushima Dallchi. Natural level of radiation sometime exceeds low baseline levels in uncontaminated areas by several hundred fold (Ghiassi-Nejad et al. 2002) resulting in significant rates of diseases in human (Lubin and Boice, 1997) and to other organisms can result in reproductive failure and death (Lubin and Boice, 1997; Ghiassi-Nejad et al. 2002).