Radiocaesium in The Fungal Compartment of Forest Ecosystems

Vinichuk, M. 2003. Radiocaesium in the fungal compartment of forest ecosystems. Doctoral dissertation. ISSN 1401-6249, ISBN 91-576-6478-1 Fungi in forest ecosystems are major contributors to accumulation and cycling of radionuclides, especially radiocaesium. However, relatively little is known about uptake and retention of 137Cs by fungal mycelia. This thesis comprises quantitative estimates of manually prepared mycelia of mainly ectomycorrhizal fungi and their possible role in the retention, turnover and accumulation of radiocaesium in contaminated forest ecosystems. The studies were conducted in two forests during 1996-1998 and 2000-2003. One was in Ovruch district, Zhytomyr region of Ukraine (51º30"N, 28º95"E), and the other at two Swedish forest sites: the first situated about 35 km northwest of Uppsala (60º05"N, 17º25"E) and the second at Hille in the vicinity of Gävle (60º85"N, 17º15"E). The 137Cs activity concentration was measured in prepared mycelia and corresponding soil layers. Various extraction procedures were used to study the retention and binding of 137C