Mortality of three species of ducks--Anas discors, A. crecca, and A. clypeata--exposed to ionizing radiation.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Three species of wild ducks, held in captivity, were subjected to an acute whole-body dose of gamma irradiation to determine radiation sensitivity of adults. The LD50(30) as determined by probit analysis was 485 R for Anas crecca, 715 R for Anas discors, and 894 R for Anas clypeata. Birds dying during the first 24 hours after irradiation had extensive intestinal hemorrhages, whereas subsequent deaths appeared to be due to hema-topoietic failure.