Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA). Dept. of Radiology and Radiation Biology
Doi
Abstract
The broad purpose of this research is to provide information on the behavior of radionuclides in, and radiation sensitivity of, selected organisms and natural ecosystems in Colorado. Components of alpine tundra, montane forests, shortgrass plains, and freshwater lakes and streams are currently under investigation with respect to behavior and effects of radionuclides. Data are presented from studies on the content of /sup 238/Pu and /sup 239/Pu in samples of soil, litter, vegetation, and tissues of mule deer, rodents, and birds collected in the vicinity of Rocky Flats; the content of fallout /sup 137/Cs and / sup 90/Sr in the tissues of mule deer and in forage samples; the migration of / sup 137/Cs through food chains in a lake ecosystem; tracer studies of energy flow from the dominant grass of the shortgrass plains, Bouteloua gracilis, through arthropod consumers, using /sup 32/P as the tracer and grasshoppers as the test organism; and the effects of gamma radiation from a large /sup 137/Cs source on arthropods, microorganisms, and soil chemistry of a chronic irradiation field. (CH
