Green frogs turned black
4Green frogs turned black
Spanish researchers observing the wildlife that survived the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl witnessed an extremely rapid evolutionary process.
Trying to determine whether the animals have adapted to living with radiation, the researchers observed that the frogs, which were normally bright green, turned black.
Germán Orizaola of the University of Oviedo and Pablo Burraco of the Doñana Biological Station cited the findings from their research since 2016 in a paper published in The Conversation.
WILDLIFE IN CHERNOBIL
The accident that occurred in the 4th reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 caused the largest release of radioactive material in human history. According to the International Nuclear Incident Scale, the accident is one of the largest nuclear accidents to date.
The radioactive fallout cloud caused by the disaster drifted from the west of the Soviet Union to Europe and over the Black Sea to Turkey. By 2000, a total of 350,400 people were evacuated from heavily polluted areas in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.
On the other hand, more than 30 years after the accident, Chernobyl has become one of the largest natural reserves in Europe.
Many endangered species now take refuge here, including bears, wolves and lynxes.
COLOR OF TREE FROGS
Frogs attracted the attention of researchers who started to observe this reserve in 2016. Between 2017 and 2019, the colors of animals known as "Oriental tree frogs" in northern Ukraine were studied in detail.
The color of the back skin of at least 200 male frogs caught in 12 different breeding ponds was recorded. The areas where the frogs were caught were affected by radiation to varying degrees. This allowed the researchers to see comparatively how frogs responded to radiation.
"Our study reveals that Chernobyl tree frogs have a much darker color than frogs caught in their field outside the zone," the two researchers wrote:
"Some are as black as pitch."
MELANIN AGAINST RADIATION
Melanin, a black pigment that is insoluble in water and concentrated in areas, is responsible for the dark color in many organisms. However, according to the researchers, this class of pigment can also reduce the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation. It absorbs and dissipates some of the radiation energy.
Therefore, it is estimated that Chernobyl's black frogs proliferated thanks to the protective effect of melanin. Researchers also conclude:
The results of our study suggest that Chernobyl frogs may have undergone a rapid evolution in response to radiation.