Abstract
Fallout 137Cs levels were determined in rumen contents and muscle from 68 wild Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus kemionus columbianus) collected over 2 yr near Hopland, California. Rumen contents only were obtained from 20 additional animals. Variations in 137Cs burdens of deer living in close proximity within oak woodland and chaparral habitats were studied in relation to food habits and foliar contamination by the radionuclide. Because of dietary differences, samples from deer collected from the oak woodland contained higher concentrations of 137Cs in all seasons than did samples from deer living in the chaparral. Oak woodland deer ate appreciable amounts of lichens at all seasons; these lichens contained up to 140 times the 137Cs activity of other forage.
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