How The Animals Get Contaminated
Animals ingest radioactive material by eating. Mushrooms and other fungi soak up much of the radiation in the soil. When consumed by small animals, the radiation passes to the animal and then up the food chain when a predator or scavenger eats them. Radiation is higher in certain areas of the exclusion zones than others. This gives more mobile animals like wolves and deer respite from concentrated poisoning since they can move about freely. In theory, animals will naturally avoid more irradiated areas.
How The Animals Get Contaminated
The Plants Are Also Adapting
In Chernobyl, researchers say they may have made an unbelievable discovery: it seems that certain plants may have a natural ability to cope with high levels of radioactivity. Plants cannot escape when their habitat is affected, unlike animals, insects, and other creatures. They either adapt or die. In a highly contaminated Chernobyl region, scientists planted soybeans and flax, allowed them to grow, and studied their seed proteins. They found that both forms of plants, though with entirely different methods, can adapt equally.
The Plants Are Also Adapting
