Accumulation of potassium, rubidium and caesium (Cs-133 and Cs-137) in various fractions of soil and fungi in a Swedish forest

Abstract

Radiocaesium (Cs-137) was widely deposited over large areas of forest in Sweden as a result of the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and many people in Sweden eat wild fungi and game obtained from these contaminated forests. In terms of radioisotope accumulation in the food chain, it is well known that fungal sporocarps efficiently accumulate radiocaesium (Cs-137), as well as the alkali metals potassium (K), rubidium (Rb) and caesium (Cs). The fungi then enhance uptake of these elements into host plants. This study compared the accumulation of these three alkali metals in bulk soil, rhizosphere, soil-root interface, fungal mycelium and sporocarps of mycorrhizal fungi in a Swedish forest. The soil-root interface was found to be distinctly enriched in K and Rb compared with the bulk soil. Potassium concentrations increased in the order: bulk soil

Keywords

Potassium; Rubidium; Caesium; Cs-137; Fungi; Mycelium; Forest soil; Rhizosphere

Published in

Science of the Total Environment
2010, volume: 408, number: 12, pages: 2543-2548
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

SLU Authors

• Vinichuk, Mykhailo

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Taylor, Andy F. S.

  • The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute

• Rosén, Klas

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Johanson, Karl Johan

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences
Ecology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2010.02.024

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/48168