1986年4月，切尔诺贝利核电站发生爆炸后，许多人被迫撤离家园，有些人甚至无法带走他们的宠物。数十年后，流浪狗仍然在核电站及其周边定居点附近自由活动，而该地区自灾难发生以来已经发生了巨变。这些狗之间的关系以及它们的遗传多样性，为研究人员提供了一个机会，以研究在人类流离失所和核污染塑造的环境中，动物种群是如何发展的。
Following the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986, many people had to evacuate their homes, and some could not take their pets with them. Decades later, free-roaming dogs continue to live around the nuclear power plant and neighboring settlements, in a region that has changed drastically since the disaster. The relationships among these dogs, along with their genetic diversity, offer researchers an opportunity to study how animal populations develop in an environment shaped by human displacement and nuclear contamination.
2023年3月，一项发表在《科学进展》上的研究分析了该地区三个地点302只狗的DNA。研究人员发现，生活在核电站附近的狗与大约15公里外的切尔诺贝利市的狗之间存在遗传差异。他们还识别出15个家族群体，揭示了这些动物之间复杂的关系模式。狗的DNA揭示了什么研究团队在2017年至2019年间采集了流浪狗的血样。
In March 2023, a study published in Science Advances analyzed the DNA of 302 dogs at three locations in the region. The researchers found genetic differences between dogs living near the nuclear power plant and those in Chernobyl City, about 15 kilometers away. They also identified 15 family groups, revealing a complex pattern of relationships among the animals. What the dogs’ DNA has shownThe research team collected blood samples from free-roaming dogs between 2017 and 2019.
这些动物是在切尔诺贝利核电站附近、切尔诺贝利市以及距离电站约45公里的斯拉夫图奇城进行采样的。通过比较129,497个遗传标记，科学家们检查了狗之间的相似性，并研究了个体之间的亲缘关系程度。结果显示，生活在电站附近的狗具有与切尔诺贝利市狗不同的遗传特征。研究人员还在斯拉夫图奇城识别出一个独特的种群，表明被采样的动物在该地区并未形成一个遗传均匀的群体。
The animals were sampled near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in Chernobyl City and in Slavutych, a city about 45 kilometers from the plant. By comparing 129,497 genetic markers, the scientists examined similarities among the dogs and investigated how closely related individuals were. The results showed that dogs living near the power plant had genetic profiles that differed from those of dogs in Chernobyl City. The researchers also identified a distinct population in Slavutych, indicating that the sampled animals did not form one genetically uniform group across the region.
为了了解家庭关系，团队检查了被采样狗之间的亲代-后代关系。他们发现，在302只动物中，有233只（约77%）在数据集中有父母或后代的代表。
To understand family relationships, the team examined parent-offspring connections among the sampled dogs. They found that 233 of the 302 animals, about 77%, had a parent or offspring represented in the dataset.
分析确定了15个家族群体，其中最大的一个包含超过162只狗，并包括在不同地点采样的亲属。这些家族联系表明，种群并非完全隔离。一些狗的亲属生活在该地区的不同部分，表明动物或其祖先可能在不同地点之间移动。然而，尽管存在这些联系，种群之间的遗传差异依然明显。研究结果表明，相关的狗可以分布在不同地点，而不会使种群在遗传上完全相同。
The analysis identified 15 family groups, with the largest containing more than 162 dogs and including relatives sampled at different locations. These family connections suggest that the populations were not completely isolated. Some dogs had relatives living in different parts of the region, indicating that animals or their ancestors may have moved between locations. However, the genetic differences between the populations remained evident despite these connections. The findings show that related dogs can be spread across different locations without making the populations genetically identical.
科学家们还检查了与西方犬种相关的血统，并在采样的种群中发现了差异。这为狗的遗传历史提供了额外信息，尽管分析并未将每只动物直接追溯到1986年疏散期间被遗弃的宠物。切尔诺贝利之外的意义排除区包含工业设施、废弃聚居地和林地，为生活在其中的动物创造了不同的条件。核电站的人类活动仍在继续，工人会给一些狗提供食物。
The scientists also examined ancestry associated with Western dog breeds and found differences among the sampled populations. This provided additional information about the dogs' genetic histories, although the analysis did not trace every animal directly to a pet abandoned during the 1986 evacuation. Why the findings matter beyond ChernobylThe exclusion zone contains industrial facilities, abandoned settlements, and wooded areas, creating different conditions for animals living within it. Human activity also continues at the nuclear power plant, where workers provide food to some of the dogs.
因此，动物的生存不仅反映了它们寻找资源的能力，也反映了它们与人以及所处环境的互动。遗传发现提供了一种方式，以了解这些当地条件如何与家族关系、繁殖和移动相互交织。通过比较几个地点的狗，研究人员能够识别出可能因只研究单一种群而被忽略的差异。这也有助于揭示该地区不同部分生活动物之间的联系，以及与其地点相关的遗传差异。重要的是，该研究并未确定辐射导致了狗之间观察到的遗传差异。
As a result, the animals' survival reflects not only their ability to find resources but also their interactions with people and the surroundings in which they live. The genetic findings offer a way to understand how these local conditions intersect with family relationships, breeding, and movement. Comparing dogs from several locations allowed the researchers to identify differences that might have been missed by studying a single population. It also helped reveal connections between animals living in different parts of the region, alongside the genetic distinctions associated with their locations. Importantly, the study did not establish that radiation caused the genetic differences observed among the dogs.
研究的重点在于动物的种群结构、祖先背景以及家族关系，而非探讨放射性污染是否导致了特定的基因突变或适应性变化。需要进一步的研究来确认长期、低剂量的辐射暴露是否对动物的生物学特性产生了影响，以及将这些影响与其他因素区分开来。切尔诺贝利事故发生四十年后，这些狗为研究人员提供了一个研究机会，让他们能够观察一个家养物种如何在极端环境中生存下去。
Its focus was on population structure, ancestry and family relationships, rather than demonstrating that radioactive contamination had produced particular mutations or adaptations. Further research would be needed to determine whether long-term, low-dose radiation exposure has affected the animals' biology and to distinguish any such effects from other influences. Forty years after the Chernobyl disaster, the dogs offer researchers an opportunity to investigate how a domestic species persists in an unusual environment.
它们的DNA为研究人员提供了关于隔离区内个体之间相互关系的信息，同时也揭示了生活在相近区域的动物种群之间的差异。了解这些规律有助于科学家们研究地理环境、繁殖历史以及各种环境因素如何随着时间的推移影响动物种群的演变。
Their DNA provides insight into both the relationships among individuals across the exclusion zone and the differences between populations living relatively close to one another. Understanding these patterns can help scientists investigate how geography, breeding history, and environmental conditions shape animal populations over time.