MUSHROOM SPORES AND CS-137 IN FECES OF THE ROE DEER

Levels of Cs-137 in meat, faeces and feed of Danish roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were studied. Faecal samples were studied in the microscope for the occurrence of fungal spores. The Cs-137 levels in collections of meat and faeces indicated that the food selection of the roe deer changes in the autumn towards a more caesium rich menu. The Cs-137 levels in some of the faecal samples were so high that they could only be explained by the ingestion of a very caesium rich feed, like mushrooms. The microscopic analysis showed that spores of Xerocomus badius, Xerocomus spp. and Hypholoma capnoides were abundant in most of the samples with high Cs-137 concentration. A few faecal samples had increased Cs-137 levels, but no correspondingly high occurrence of fungal spores. This can be due to the ingestion of mushrooms with thin-walled spores, that cannot pass intact through the digestive apparatus of the roe deer. The levels of Cs-137 in meat were significantly lower in Gribskov than in Tisvilde Hegn. A likely explanation is that the roe deer from Gribskov partly feed on the surrounding arable land.