Abstract
Although the influence of nuclear accidents on the reproduction of top predators has not been investigated, it is important that we identify the effects of such accidents because humans are also top predators. We conducted field observation for 22 years and analysed the reproductive performance of the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis fujiyamae), a top avian predator in the North Kanto area of Japan, before and after the accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that occurred in 2011. The reproductive performance declined markedly compared with the pre-accident years and progressively decreased for the three post-accident study years. Moreover, it was suggested that these declines were primarily caused by an increase in the air dose rate of radio-active contaminants measured under the nests caused by the nuclear accidents, rather than by other factors. We consider the trends in the changes of the reproductive success rates and suggest that internal exposure may play an important role in the reproductive performance of the goshawk, as well as external exposure.
Highlights
Graduate School of Natural Science, and Research Center for biological diversity, Nagoya City University, 1 Yamanohata, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8501, Japan, 2Goshawk Protection Fund, 2-5-1 Hanawada, Utsunomiya, Tochigi
It was suggested that these declines were primarily caused by an increase in the air dose rate of radio-active contaminants measured under the nests caused by the nuclear accidents, rather than by other factors
We consider the trends in the changes of the reproductive success rates and suggest that internal exposure may play an important role in the reproductive performance of the goshawk, as well as external exposure
Summary
Graduate School of Natural Science, and Research Center for biological diversity, Nagoya City University, 1 Yamanohata, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 467-8501, Japan, 2Goshawk Protection Fund, 2-5-1 Hanawada, Utsunomiya, Tochigi. We conducted field observation for 22 years and analysed the reproductive performance of the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis fujiyamae), a top avian predator in the North Kanto area of Japan, before and after the accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that occurred in 2011. We investigated the reproductive performance of the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis fujiyamae) in Japan, since 1992, before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and the accidents at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. We mapped their breeding sites as part of our field research, and in this study, we compared their reproductive performance in the 19 years before the nuclear accidents with the three years after the accidents. This study will provide relevant ecological information for discussing the impacts of a nuclear accident
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