137Cs, 40K, 90Sr, 238, 239+240Pu, 241Am and 243+244Cm in forest litter and their transfer to some species of insects and plants in boreal forests: Three case studies

Results for 137Cs, 40K, 90Sr, 238,239+240Pu, 241Am and 243+244Cm measurements in plant, insects and forest litter samples collected at three sites in Poland are presented. New results are compared with some existing data for locations examined during previous studies. Insect samples were introduced now for the first time. Relatively high activities of 90Sr were noticed for spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) and those for 137Cs, plutonium and 241Am for forest dung beetle (Anoplotrupes stercorosus). Faster than caused by physical decay decrease of radiocesium activity was noticed for the majority of plant and litter samples. The results for 239+240Pu for litter were similar to previous results, but the activities of 238Pu were smaller. The activity ratio between 241Am and 239+240Pu was found lower than expected for known proportions between global and Chernobyl fallout. Thus a kind of dynamic behavior of Pu and Am in the forest ecosystem is concluded. Transfer factors and aggregation coefficients were estimated and discussed for both plants and insects as well as between insects and the part of plants (or litter) they feed on. Many of them were never presented before.