Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 15 hrs ago
Chornobyl dogs show genetic signs of natural selection
Dogs near the Chornobyl power plant differ genetically from dogs in Chornobyl City, despite living about 10 miles apart.
Earlier work found that increased mutation rates did not explain the divide, so researchers examined natural selection and genetic drift.
The new study found patterns consistent with natural selection, in which inherited traits that aid survival and reproduction become more common over generations.
The team compared the dogs with free-breeding dogs in Eastern Europe and isolated dogs in the Galápagos Islands.
Researchers identified more than 100 candidate genome locations in the power plant dogs with signs of directional selection, including areas near genes linked to DNA repair, immunity and cancer-related pathways.
These results may help explain how animals adapt to contaminated environments, but they do not prove that the genes protect the dogs from radiation or cancer.
The findings offer leads for further research into how animals persist in such environments.
A study found genetic patterns in Chornobyl’s power plant dogs that are consistent with directional natural selection.
The dogs are genetically distinct from those living in Chornobyl City, about ten miles away.
Researchers found more than 100 candidate locations in the power plant dogs’ genomes with signs consistent with directional selection.
Nearby genes were associated with DNA repair, immune responses, cell functions and cancer-related pathways.
The findings do not prove that these genes protect the dogs from radiation or cancer.
- Who
- Researchers studying free-breeding dogs in Chornobyl, including first author Megan Dillon.
- What
- The study found genetic patterns in the power plant dog population consistent with directional selection, rather than mutation.
- When
- The study appeared in Genes; the publication date is Not stated.
- Where
- Near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and in Chornobyl City, Ukraine.
- Why
- Researchers investigated whether natural selection or genetic drift could explain the genetic differences between the dog populations.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Studies established that Chornobyl’s power plant and city dog populations were genetically distinct and that increased mutation rates did not explain the divide.
Phys.org reported that research found genetic signatures likely to be evidence of directional selection.
Discover reported that the study found genomic patterns consistent with natural selection.
- Distance between populations
- About 10 miles
- Candidate genome locations
- More than 100 showed signs consistent with directional selection
- Comparison populations
- Free-breeding dogs from Eastern Europe and isolated dogs from the Galápagos Islands
- Study journal
- Genes
3 sources
What people are saying
With this work we wanted to explore two additional larger-scale evolutionary drivers — are the genetic differences due to selection, or are they due to genetic drift over time in an isolated population?
While we can’t say for certain whether what we’ve found can be directly confirmed as selection, we do find these genomic structures suggestive of selection