Effect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation
Abstract To investigate the impact of low-dose radiation from fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident on plants, inflorescences of Somei-yoshino cherry trees (Cerasus × yedoensis) were collected just before blooming from 2014 to 2021 at three locations: Tsushima Eleme...
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| Language: | English |
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Springer
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44273-025-00059-y |
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| author | Nobuyoshi Nakajima Kazuhiko Kobayashi Masanori Tamaoki Mitsuko Aono |
| author_facet | Nobuyoshi Nakajima Kazuhiko Kobayashi Masanori Tamaoki Mitsuko Aono |
| author_sort | Nobuyoshi Nakajima |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract To investigate the impact of low-dose radiation from fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident on plants, inflorescences of Somei-yoshino cherry trees (Cerasus × yedoensis) were collected just before blooming from 2014 to 2021 at three locations: Tsushima Elementary School (TE), Tsushima Junior High School (TJ), and Namie High School (NH) in the Tsushima area of Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture. The immature pollen ratio (IPR) was examined. We modeled the annual changes in spatial dose rates (SDR) and the IPR to verify whether SDR affected the IPR. Our results showed that the low-dose radiation from FDNPP accident increased IPR in Somei-yoshino cherry trees at the study sites in Fukushima Prefecture. The relative increase of IPR was highest in the range from 30 to 60% in 2014, when the SDR was at its highest, and then decreased to 20–40% with the decline in the SDR in 2016, and remained in 15 to 35% range thereafter. The increase of IPR at the Fukushima sites over the extended period of time suggests negative impacts on pollen formation in other perennial species and accordingly long-term cumulative effects on biodiversity across the affected region. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cff3053f85fb4698af220f1c64c84979 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1976-6912 2287-1160 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-cff3053f85fb4698af220f1c64c849792025-08-20T03:04:17ZengSpringerAsian Journal of Atmospheric Environment1976-69122287-11602025-06-0119111010.1007/s44273-025-00059-yEffect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formationNobuyoshi Nakajima0Kazuhiko Kobayashi1Masanori Tamaoki2Mitsuko Aono31Biodiversity Division, The National Institute for Environmental Studies1Biodiversity Division, The National Institute for Environmental Studies1Biodiversity Division, The National Institute for Environmental Studies1Biodiversity Division, The National Institute for Environmental StudiesAbstract To investigate the impact of low-dose radiation from fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident on plants, inflorescences of Somei-yoshino cherry trees (Cerasus × yedoensis) were collected just before blooming from 2014 to 2021 at three locations: Tsushima Elementary School (TE), Tsushima Junior High School (TJ), and Namie High School (NH) in the Tsushima area of Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture. The immature pollen ratio (IPR) was examined. We modeled the annual changes in spatial dose rates (SDR) and the IPR to verify whether SDR affected the IPR. Our results showed that the low-dose radiation from FDNPP accident increased IPR in Somei-yoshino cherry trees at the study sites in Fukushima Prefecture. The relative increase of IPR was highest in the range from 30 to 60% in 2014, when the SDR was at its highest, and then decreased to 20–40% with the decline in the SDR in 2016, and remained in 15 to 35% range thereafter. The increase of IPR at the Fukushima sites over the extended period of time suggests negative impacts on pollen formation in other perennial species and accordingly long-term cumulative effects on biodiversity across the affected region. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1007/s44273-025-00059-yNuclear power plant accidentCherry treesPollenEffect of radiationCerasus × yedoensis |
| spellingShingle | Nobuyoshi Nakajima Kazuhiko Kobayashi Masanori Tamaoki Mitsuko Aono Effect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment Nuclear power plant accident Cherry trees Pollen Effect of radiation Cerasus × yedoensis |
| title | Effect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation |
| title_full | Effect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation |
| title_fullStr | Effect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation |
| title_short | Effect of low-dose radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation |
| title_sort | effect of low dose radiation from the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant accident on cherry blossom pollen formation |
| topic | Nuclear power plant accident Cherry trees Pollen Effect of radiation Cerasus × yedoensis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44273-025-00059-y |
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