Mushroom spores and ¹³⁷Cs in faeces of the roe deer

Levels of ¹³⁷Cs 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 ¹³⁷Cs 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 ¹³⁷Cs 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 ¹³⁷Cs concentration. A few faecal samples had increased ¹³⁷Cs levels, but no correspondingly high occurrence of fungal 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 level of ¹³⁷Cs 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.