Table 1. Location, measured ambient radioactivity at sampling sites, number of sequences analyzed per gene library and Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) detected for samples analyzed in this study.
| Sample name | Geographic origin | Coordinates | Radiation (µSv/h)** | Bacteria SSU rDNA sequences analyzed | Eukaryote SSU rDNA sequences analyzed | Number of bacteria OTUs | Number of eukaryote OTUs |
| B1.6 | Ballyclare, Northern Ireland | 54.751, −5.999 | 0.08* | 119 | 130 | 20 | 6 |
| Cher1 | Pripyat, Chernobyl | 51.23.321, 30.06.746 | 0.83 | - | - | - | - |
| Cher2 | Pripyat, Chernobyl | 51.23.118, 30.05.943 | 8.65 | 70 | 94 | 9 | 8 |
| Cher3 | Pripyat, Chernobyl | 51.23.462, 030.03.775 | 0.97 | - | - | - | - |
| Cher4 | Pripyat, Chernobyl (red forest) | 51.23.052, 030.02.433 | 25 | 137 | 105 | 23 | 15 |
| Cher5 | Pripyat, Chernobyl | 51.21.561, 030.00.595 | 0.35 | - | - | - | - |
| Cher6 | Pripyat, Chernobyl | 51.21.701, 030.00.402 | 0.76 | 191 | 112 | 24 | 4 |
| Cher7 | Pripyat, Chernobyl | 51.17.647, 030.38.568 | 6.4 | - | - | - | - |
| Cher8 | Vesniane, Chernobyl | 51.18.380, 029.38.820 | 4 | 64 | 110 | 2 | 5 |
*This value corresponds to the average radiation levels from three close monitoring stations in Ireland in 2008 (Dundalk, Clones, Malinhead) [48].
**1 Sievert = 1 Gray.