- Topic:Multiple stressors and pollutants
Making waves. Bridging theory and practice towards multiple stressor management in freshwater ecosystems
The authors identified limitations to the development of multiple-stressor management strategies and address these within an empirical framework. They give recommendations for the use of empirical models and experiments to predict the effects of freshwater degradation in response to changes in multiple stressors and offer practical advice for management strategies in 3 multiple-stressor scenarios.
The impact of light pollution on bats varies according to foraging guild and habitat context
The authors review how different bat guilds respond to artificial light at night (ALAN) and assess how the impacts vary according to ecological context. All studied European species respond for example negatively to a wide range of light colors and intensities close to roosts and drinking sites. The sprawl of ALAN may be a key factor driving the decline of bat diversity.
Misbalance of thyroid hormones after two weeks of exposure to artificial light at night in Eurasian perch Perca fluviatilis
In a lab study it was tested if light pollution affects thyroid hormones in Eurasian perch. The results show first signs of endocrine disruption in thyroid metabolism after a relatively short exposure of two weeks under high-intensity streetlight conditions. Misbalanced thyroidal status can have serious implications for metabolic rates as well as developmental and reproductive processes.
The role of behavioral ecotoxicology in environmental protection
Many contaminants affect organismal behavior and subsequent ecological outcomes. To improve understanding of the challenges and opportunities for behavioral ecotoxicology within regulatory toxicology/risk assessment, the authors formulated perspectives and recommendations, which promise to serve as a roadmap to advance interfaces among basic and translational sciences, and regulatory practices.
Lunar illuminated fraction is a poor proxy for moonlight exposure
The authors suggest that lunar illuminated fraction should, in general, never be used in biological studies, as alternative variables such as horizontal illuminance better represent moonlight exposure, and therefore offer a greater chance of detecting the effects of moonlight. They provide a brief explanation of how moonlight varies with season and time of night.
Uptake and physiological effects of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid and its commercial formulation Confidor® in a widespread freshwater oligochaete
The neonicotinoid imidacloprid (IMI) is one of the most extensively applied neuro-active insecticides worldwide and continues to enter surface waters in many countries despite a recent ban for outdoor use in the EU. The study assessed the effects of pure IMI and its commercial formulation Confidor® on the aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus, a key species in freshwater sediments.
Nanosilver impacts on aquatic microbial decomposers and litter decomposition assessed as pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT)
The authors have shown that shifts in microbial communities triggered by chronic exposure to low concentrations of silver nanoparticles increases the community tolerance to silver, as described in the pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) concept, with consequences for leaf litter decomposition, a pivotal process in forest streams.
Sulphate in freshwater ecosystems: a review of sources, biogeochemical cycles, ecotoxicological effects and bioremediation
Sulphate pollution of inland waters is a persistent global problem. Climate change, land use and acid mining drainage are among the main causes. The review shows that sulphate affects the biogeochemical turnover of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and can have toxic effects on aquatic organisms. Bioremediation in buffer zones is a possible mitigation tool.