Accumulation of 137Cs and 90Sr radionuclides by dominants and co-dominants of birch-pine forest communities in Northern Ukraine

doi:10.3832/ifor4577-017

Accumulation of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr radionuclides by dominants and co-dominants of birch-pine forest communities in Northern Ukraine

Oleksandr Lukash⁽¹⁾ , Halina Tkaczenko⁽²⁾, Oleksandr Yakovenko⁽¹⁾, Anita Szikura⁽³⁾, Natalia Kurhaluk⁽²⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 17, Issue 6, Pages 386-393 (2024)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor4577-017
Published: Dec 20, 2024 - Copyright © 2024 SISEF

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Investigation of the post-Chernobyl accumulation of radionuclides in forest communities not only sheds light on the specific ecological aftermath of the disaster but also holds broader significance for enhancing our knowledge of radioactive contamination in natural environments and informing strategies for mitigating its impacts. The study was carried out in an area with soil contamination exceeding the pre-accident level for the isotopes cesium (¹³⁷Cs, 5.0-15.0 Ci km^-2) and strontium (⁹⁰Sr, 0.15-3.0 Ci km^-2) in the Semenivka State Forestry (Chernihiv Region, Northern Ukraine). Four experimental plots with an area of 400 m² each were established in a birch-Scots pine forest, where dominant trees, herb and shrub layers, and mosses were analyzed for radionuclide bioaccumulation. Our results indicate a larger accumulation of ¹³⁷Cs compared to ⁹⁰Sr in the forest ecosystem. The highest ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr accumulation was detected in the fern Pteridium aquilinum, and the lowest in Pinus sylvestris. Based on our results, we hypothesized that the processes of accumulation and dispersion of ¹³⁷Cs among the different vegetation layers are more complex compared to ⁹⁰Sr. MANOVA regression analysis revealed significant differences in the accumulation of radionuclides between different layer levels, plant species and plant parts in the studied forest areas. According β coefficient analysis, both ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr are influenced by the site (area type) but in different ways. For ⁹⁰Sr, the negative β coefficient implies that certain area types are associated with lower Sr accumulation, while for ¹³⁷Cs the effect of area type may be more complex or context-dependent. These contrasting results suggest that Cs accumulation is more sensitive to changes in layer level compared to Sr. This could be due to differences in the environmental behaviour of these radionuclides, their chemical properties or differences in soil-plant transfer mechanisms. The significant effect of plant species on ¹³⁷Cs/⁹⁰Sr accumulation highlights that species-specific characteristics may play a role in radionuclide uptake. Moreover, we found significant differences in ¹³⁷Cs/⁹⁰Sr accumulation between different plant parts. Further research on the mechanisms of accumulation and distribution of these radionuclides are essential for better understanding their impact on human health and the environment.

Keywords

Forest Vegetation, Peucedano-Pinetum, Polesie, Radioactive Contamination, Radiocesium (¹³⁷Cs), Radiostrontium (⁹⁰Sr)

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0003-2702-6430
0000-0003-1417-6042
Department of Ecology, Geography and Nature Management, T.H. Shevchenko National University “Chernihiv Colehium”, Chernihiv (Ukraine)

(2)

0000-0003-3951-9005
0000-0002-4669-1092
Institute of Biology, Pomeranian University in Slupsk, Slupsk (Poland)

(3)

0000-0002-6474-4821
Department of Biology and Chemistry, Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education, Berehove (Ukraine)

Corresponding author

Oleksandr Lukash
lukash2011@ukr.net

Citation

Lukash O, Tkaczenko H, Yakovenko O, Szikura A, Kurhaluk N (2024). Accumulation of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr radionuclides by dominants and co-dominants of birch-pine forest communities in Northern Ukraine. iForest 17: 386-393. - doi: 10.3832/ifor4577-017

Academic Editor

Rossella Guerrieri

Paper history

Received: Feb 06, 2024
Accepted: Sep 22, 2024

First online: Dec 20, 2024
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2024
Publication Time: 2.97 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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