However, there are even more fundamental issues going on in the environment. According to a new study published in Oecologia, decomposers - organisms such as microbes, fungi and some types of insects that drive the process of decay - have also suffered from the contamination. These creatures are responsible for an essential component of any ecosystem: recycling organic matter back into the soil. Issues with such a basic-level process, the authors of the study think, could have compounding effects for the entire ecosystem. The team decided to investigate this question in part because of a peculiar field observation. "We have conducted research in Chernobyl since 1991 and have noticed a significant accumulation of litter over time," the write. Moreover, trees in the infamous Red Forest - "an area where all of the pine trees turned a reddish color and then died shortly after the accident - "did not seem to be decaying, even 15 to 20 years after the meltdown.