title: Dietary items as possible sources of (137)Cs in large carnivores in the Gorski Kotar forest ecosystem, Western Croatia.
abstract: The mountain forest ecosystem of Gorski Kotar is distant from any significant sources of environmental pollution, though recent findings have revealed that this region is among the most intense (137)Cs contaminated area in Croatia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate (137)Cs and (40)K load in three large predator species in the mountain forest ecosystem. Radionuclides mass activities were determined by the gamma-spectrometric method in the muscle tissue of brown bear (47), wolf (7), lynx (1) and golden jackal (2). The highest (137)Cs mass activity was found in lynx (153 Bq kg(-1)), followed by brown bear (132 Bq kg(-1)), wolf (22.2 Bq kg(-1)), and golden jackal (2.48 Bq kg(-1)). Analysis of 63 samples of dietary items suggests that they are not all potentially dominant sources of (137)Cs for wildlife. The most important source of radionuclides for the higher parts of the food-chain from the study area were found to be the mushroom species wood hedgehog (Hydnum repandum), with a transfer factor TF of 5.166, and blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) as a plant species (TF=2.096). Food items of animal origin indicated higher mass activity of radionuclides and therefore are possible moderate bioindicators of environmental pollution. The results also revealed that possible unknown wild animal food sources are a caesium source in the study region, and further study is required to illuminate this issue.
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Beekeeping, Game Management and Special Zoology, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Electronic address: nsprem@agr.hr.
authors.forename: Nikica
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Šprem
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Beekeeping, Game Management and Special Zoology, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piria
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Beekeeping, Game Management and Special Zoology, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Domagoj
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barišić
authors.affiliation: University of Zagreb, Veterinary Faculty, Department of Biology, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Josip
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kusak
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Radioecology, Centre for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, PO Box 160, Bijenička 54, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Delko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barišić
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017523:Croatia; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020387:Food Chain; D065928:Forests; D046008:Lynx / Q000378:metabolism; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001503:Ursidae / Q000378:metabolism; D019596:Wolves / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants
keywords: Canis lupus; Environment pollution; Lynx lynx; Radionuclides; Transfer factor; Ursus arctos