Re: Radioisotopes in amphibian research

[Wes Van Pelt <VanPeltW@IDT.NET>]

glen_kruse_at_con084p2@dnrmail.state.il.us wrote:
> 
>      I work for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  We are
>      trying to design a research project that will let us determine the
>      home range of the Illinois chorus frog, a threatened species in our
>      state.  Chorus frogs breed in temporary ponds in early spring, then
>      move away from the ponds where they burrow into sandy soils and remain
>      underground for the rest of the year.  Our problem is to determine how
>      far the frogs move from the ponds so we can attempt to protect
>      adequate areas of habitat for the frogs' entire life cycle.
> 
>      I am looking for information that will help us determine what isotope
>      may be appropriate for this research.  We need something that can be
>      injected into a 40-mm frog, will not cause serious injury to the frog,
>      and can be detected with readily available equipment when the frog is
>      several inches below the ground surface.  We would like to be able to
>      locate the frogs for a period of about 2 weeks after they have been
>      injected.
> 
>      If any subscribers have experience in this type of research or know of
>      someone I can contact, I would very much appreciate hearing from you.
> 
>                                 gkruse@dnrmail.state.il.us

Hi Glen and All,

There may be a non-radioactive alternative.  The ultimate ALARA. How
about those passive electronic devices used in pets and lab animals
(including mice) to identify them.  They are implanted in the animal and
read out with some kind of EM field.  Perhaps similar to the anti-theft
tags put on expensive clothing in stores.

Good luck,  Wes
-- 
Wesley R. Van Pelt, Ph.D., CIH, CHP                KF2LG
President, Van Pelt Associates, Inc.     
Consulting in radiological health and safety.
mailto:VanPeltW@IDT.net        
http://shell.idt.net/~vanpeltw/index.html