title: Health impacts of large releases of radionuclides. Impacts on plant and animal populations.
abstract: Historical experiments and observations in radioactively contaminated environments have documented radiation impacts on natural plant communities and animal populations. General findings from these studies are reviewed. Despite much information on the response of individual organisms to radiation in the laboratory, the database is more limited and the interpretations more complex for natural populations and communities exposed to radionuclides. These complications are discussed as they pertain to plants and animals in natural environments. Paradigms concerning the recovery of radiation-damaged communities and ecosystems, and areas of needed research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA.
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Whicker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000502:physiology*; D004463:Ecology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D010944:Plants / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011210:Power Plants; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012800:Siberia; D013045:Species Specificity; D014197:Trees / Q000528:radiation effects; D014455:Ukraine; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D011848:Radioactive Pollutants