Comparative sensitivity to gamma radiation at the organismal, cell and DNA level in young plants of Norway spruce, Scots pine and Arabidopsis thaliana

Main conclusion Persistent DNA damage in gamma-exposed Norway spruce, Scots pine and Arabidopsis thaliana , but persistent adverse effects at the organismal and cellular level in the conifers only. Gamma radiation emitted from natural and anthropogenic sources may have strong negative impact on plants, especially at high dose rates. Although previous studies implied different sensitivity among species, information from comparative studies under standardized conditions is scarce. In this study, sensitivity to gamma radiation was compared in young seedlings of the conifers Scots pine and Norway spruce and the herbaceous Arabidopsis thaliana by exposure to 60 Co gamma dose rates of 1–540 mGy h −1 for 144 h, as well as 360 h for A. thaliana . Consistent with slightly less prominent shoot apical meristem, in the conifers growth was significantly inhibited with increasing dose rate ≥ 40 mGy h −1 . Post-irradiation, the conifers showed dose-rate-dependent inhibition of needle and root development consistent with increasingly disorganized apical meristems with increasing dose rate, visible damage and mortality after exposure to ≥ 40 mGy h −1 . Regardless of gamma duration, A. thaliana showed no visible or histological damage or mortality, only delayed lateral root development after ≥ 100 mGy h −1 and slightly, but transiently delayed post-irradiation reproductive development after ≥ 400 mGy h −1 . In all species dose-rate-dependent DNA damage occurred following ≥ 1–10 mGy h −1 and was still at a similar level at day 44 post-irradiation. In conclusion, the persistent DNA damage (possible genomic instability) following gamma exposure in all species may suggest that DNA repair is not necessarily mobilized more extensively in A. thaliana than in Norway spruce and Scots pine, and the far higher sensitivity at the organismal and cellular level in the conifers indicates lower tolerance to DNA damage than in A. thaliana .