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Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
Published on: August 8, 2017
Seasonality of 137Cs in roe deer from Austria and Germany
1Environmental Studies, Thomasberg 33, D-37115 Duderstadt, Germany. mail@environmental-studies.de
Abstract:
Empirical data on the (137)Cs activity concentration in meat of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) roaming in 3 spruce forest areas and one peat bog area are presented and compared. They cover time series of nearly 20 years after a spike contamination in 1986 originating from Chernobyl. A model is presented which considers three soil compartments to describe the change of the availability of (137)Cs with time. The time-dependency of the (137)Cs activity concentration in meat of roe deer is a combination of two components: (1) an exponential decay and (2) a peak in the second half of each year during the mushroom season. The exponential decay over the years can be described by a sum of two exponential functions. The additional transfer of (137)Cs into roe deer during the mushroom season depends on precipitation. On the peat bog the (137)Cs activity concentration in roe deer is higher and more persistent than in spruce forest.
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