Genetic and Morphological Radiation Effects in Cattail Population (Typha spp.)

Period: 2000–2003

Customer: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, USA

Objective: identify radiationally determined morphological and genetic effects in cattail population (Typha latifolia and T. Angustifolia) within the territories contaminated with radionuclides.

Research results:

• It was found out that in most cases genetic variability correlates with the level of radiation contamination of the territory, where plants were sampled (and among the plants of the Glubokoye Lake the variability is the highest). The genetic variability in T. latifolia population was much lower than in T. Angustifolia population.
• It was discovered that the level of plants heterozygosity increases in accordance with the increase of radiation contamination of environment. Control populations were mainly characterized by a low level of genetic variability, though there were some exceptions among them. Genetic distances between populations did not depend on geographical ones, and in some cases distant populations were more alike than some neighboring ones.