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Research on butterflies shows the genetic effects of low level radiation

experimental demonstration of genetic mutations in the germ-line cells that are inherited by the offspring of radiation-exposed parents has been scarce, although the germ-line damage was shown in barn swallows 

We address these important issues in connection with the recent Fukushima Dai-ich NPP accident. We use the pale grass blue butterfly Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) as an indicator species to evaluate the environmental conditions.

 We conclude that artificial radionuclides from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant caused physiological and genetic damage to this species.

The biological impacts of the Fukushima nuclear accident on the pale
grass blue butterfly – Nature science journal. 9 Aug 12,Primary source. “……Prompt and reliable evaluation of the biological influences of the artificial radionuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP is lacking, and only a few studies have been performed to date 9, 10. In the case of the Chernobyl accident, changes in species composition and phenotypic aberration in animals11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and an increase in the incidence of thyroid and lymph cancers in humans18 have been reported.

Similarly, an increase in the incidence of cancers has been reported for atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan19. However, the effects of low-dose radiation exposure on
animals, including humans, are still a matter of debate20, 21, 22 despite the relatively rigorous documentation of physiological damage to animals from external high-dose radiation exposure. Moreover, one
of the greatest concerns is the possible inheritance of the adverse
effects of exposure by the offspring of the exposed individuals.
However, experimental demonstration of genetic mutations in the germ-line cells that are inherited by the offspring of radiation-exposed parents has been scarce, although the germ-line damage was shown in barn swallows 23.

We address these important issues in connection with the recent
Fukushima Dai-ich NPP accident. We use the pale grass blue butterfly
Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) as an indicator species to
evaluate the environmental conditions. A reliable rearing method has
been established for this species24. Butterflies are generally
considered useful environmental indicators10, 15, 25, 26, and this
species is particularly suitable for this purpose because it is
widespread in Japan, including the Fukushima area, and because its
wing colour patterns are sensitive to environmental changes24, 27. In
the past, this species was used to evaluate the ecological risk
associated with transgenic maize pollen28, 29.
The meltdown and explosion of the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP occurred on
12 March 2011, when Z. maha was overwintering as larvae. On that date
and thereafter, these larvae were exposed to artificial radiation not
only externally but also internally from ingested food. In this study,
we examine possible physiological and genetic changes in this
butterfly in the Fukushima area resulting from damage by artificial
radionuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ich NPP. We also evaluate the
risk of external exposure and that of internal exposure to ingested
radionuclides.
The collapse of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant caused a
massive release of radioactive materials to the environment. A prompt
and reliable system for evaluating the biological impacts of this
accident on animals has not been available. Here we show that the
accident caused physiological and genetic damage to the pale grass
blue Zizeeria maha, a common lycaenid butterfly in Japan. We collected
the first-voltine adults in the Fukushima area in May 2011, some of
which showed relatively mild abnormalities. The F1 offspring from the
first-voltine females showed more severe abnormalities, which were
inherited by the F2 generation. Adult butterflies collected in
September 2011 showed more severe abnormalities than those collected
in May. Similar abnormalities were experimentally reproduced in
individuals from a non-contaminated area by external and internal
low-dose exposures. We conclude that artificial radionuclides from the
Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant caused physiological and genetic damage
to this species…. http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/the-biological-impacts-of-the-fukushima-nuclear-accident-on-the-pale-grass-blue-butterfly-nature-science-journal-primary-source/

August 11, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Fukushima 2012, Reference