Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2012
Radionuclides may be used as ecological tracers to study trophic–level relationships. To use cesium-137 to investigate the role of the giant water bug, Lethocerus americanus (Leidy), in the food-web of a small pond, it was necessary to measure the elimination rate of the nuclide. The experimental determination of the elimination rate of cesium-137 in fourth instar and adult water bugs, and the calculation of the fraction of ingested food assimilated is described.
Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Canada, 26–28 August 1968, Saskatoon.