title: Influence of long-term chronic exposure and weather conditions on Scots pine populations.
abstract: Over a period of 8 years (2007-2014), we were evaluating seed quality and morphological abnormalities in Scots pine trees affected as a result of the Chernobyl accident. The calculated dose rates for the trees at the study sites varied from background values at the reference sites to 40 mGy/year at the most contaminated site. We investigated whether radioactive contamination and/or weather factors could decrease the reproductive capacity or increase the frequency of morphological abnormalities of needles in pine trees. Scots pine seeds are characterized by high interannual variability of viability, which is largely determined by weather conditions. No consistent differences in reproductive capacity were detected between the impacted and reference populations. Brachyblasts with three needles were found only in the affected populations; however, their frequency was very low and only at the very border of significance at the p < 0.10 level.
authors.affiliation: Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Kievskoe shosse, 109 km, 249020, Obninsk, Russia. stgeraskin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Stanislav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geras'kin
authors.affiliation: Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Kievskoe shosse, 109 km, 249020, Obninsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vasiliyev
authors.affiliation: Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Kievskoe shosse, 109 km, 249020, Obninsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Makarenko
authors.affiliation: Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Kievskoe shosse, 109 km, 249020, Obninsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Polina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Volkova
authors.affiliation: Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Kievskoe shosse, 109 km, 249020, Obninsk, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuzmenkov
mesh_terms: D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D041605:Pinus sylvestris / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D014887:Weather
keywords: Chernobyl accident; Chronic exposure; Morphological abnormalities; Reproductive ability; Scots pine; Weather conditions