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Radiation sources and dosimetric methods were developed by radiation ecologists interested in the effects of ionizing radiation on species, communities and ecosystems. Radiation may be considered as a form of stress that can be applied with safety and precision to natural ecosystems. Community responses to radiation stress reveal many basic aspects of ecosystem structure and function, and for this reason, radiation may be considered as a technique to develop fundamental ecological knowledge. The general subject of radiation sources and dosimeters has been discussed in symposia and in journals (e.g., International Atomic Energy Agency, 1960, 1973c; Attix, 1967; Spurny and Sulcova, 1973). Sparrow (1960) discussed the uses of large sources in botanical research and cited many references on sources utilized by investigators.