Availability of pesticide-treated seeds on the soil surface in different crops and countries: A comprehensive data set reflecting modern agronomic practice.

For plant protection products applied as seed treatments, the risk to birds and mammals possibly feeding on such treated seeds needs to be addressed in the EU, in order to register these products for commercial use. For this purpose, the European Food Safety Food Authority (EFSA) has provided guidance on how to execute such a risk assessment. The risk assessment follows a tiered approach.

Decline of pesticide residue on treated crop seeds: An analysis of comprehensive industry data and implications of the current risk assessment scheme for plant protection products.

For plant protection products applied as seed treatments, the risk to birds and mammals possibly feeding on treated seeds must be addressed in the EU to register products for commercial use. One assumption of the Tier 1 long-term risk assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is that residues of pesticides on treated seeds do not decline over time after seeding. Consequently, a time-weighted average factor (f ) of 1 (i.

Residue Levels of Pesticides on Fruits for Use in Wildlife Risk Assessments.

The guidance document on risk assessment for birds and mammals (GD) provides generic residue values of pesticides on potential diet items for use in wildlife risk assessments. For most diet items, these values are based on a large number of residue studies. However, the default residues per unit dose (RUD; standardized for application of 1 kg substance per hectare) values for fruits were taken from a few literature trials of unclear relevance for regulatory purposes.

The Anhydrobiotic Potential of the Terrestrial Nematodes Plectus parietinus and Plectus velox.

Within the taxon Nematoda, many species possess an anhydrobiotic potential similar to other microscopic animals, such as tardigrades and rotifers. This interesting capability enables them to survive conditions even of extreme dehydration. We examined the anhydrobiotic abilities of the two widespread terrestrial nematode species, Plectus parietinus and P.

A comparative approach using ecotoxicological methods from single-species bioassays to model ecosystems.

Soft sediments are often hotspots of chemical contamination, and a thorough ecotoxicological assessment of this habitat can help to identify the causes of stress and to improve the health of the respective ecosystems. As an important component of the ecologically relevant meiobenthic fauna, nematodes can be used for sediment assessments, with various assay tools ranging from single-species toxicity tests to field studies. In the present study, microcosms containing sediment were used to investigate direct and indirect effects of zinc on natural nematode assemblages, and acute community toxicity tests considering only direct toxicity were conducted.

Varying Patterns on Varying Scales: A Metacommunity Analysis of Nematodes in European Lakes.

Ecological community patterns are often extremely complex and the factors with the greatest influence on community structure have yet to be identified. In this study we used the elements of metacommunity structure (EMS) framework to characterize the metacommunities of freshwater nematodes in 16 European lakes at four geographical scales (radius ranging from 80 m to 360 km). The site characteristics associated with site scores indicative of the structuring gradient were identified using Spearman rank correlations.

Toxicity in relation to mode of action for the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: Acute-to-chronic ratios and quantitative structure-activity relationships.

Acute-to-chronic ratios (ACRs) and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) are of particular interest in chemical risk assessment. Previous studies focusing on the relationship between the size or variation of ACRs to substance classes and QSAR models were often based on data for standard test organisms, such as daphnids and fish. In the present study, acute and chronic toxicity tests were performed with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans for a total of 11 chemicals covering 3 substance classes (nonpolar narcotics: 1-propanol, ethanol, methanol, 2-butoxyethanol; metals: copper, cadmium, zinc; and carbamates: methomyl, oxamyl, aldicarb, dioxacarb).

First evidence of cryptic species diversity and significant population structure in a widespread freshwater nematode morphospecies (Tobrilus gracilis).

Free-living nematodes are ubiquitous and highly abundant in terrestrial and aquatic environments, where they sustain ecosystem functioning by mineralization processes and nutrient cycling. Nevertheless, very little is known about their true diversity and intraspecific population structure. Recent molecular studies on marine nematodes indicated cryptic diversity and strong genetic differentiation of distinct populations, but for freshwater nematode species, analogous studies are lacking.

The functional response of a freshwater benthic community to cadmium pollution.

Theory predicts that in freshwater communities under chemical stress secondary production will decrease while the rate of biomass turnover (P/B) will increase. However, this concept has never been tested on organisms of smaller size (bacteria, protozoans, small metazoans), although they form the basis of the heterotrophic food web. The present work describes the results of a 7-month microcosm study, in which the effects of low and high toxic stress on an entire sediment community were examined, with cadmium (Cd) as the model pollutant (50 and 400mg Cd kg(-1) dry sediment).

Biomass estimation across the benthic community in polluted freshwater sediment--a promising endpoint in microcosm studies?

With respect to the ecological relevance of endpoints, biomass as an endpoint might be promising regarding ecotoxicological assessments of benthic communities. In a freshwater microcosm study the effect of two cadmium (Cd) concentrations (50 and 400 mg Cd kg(-1) dw) on biomass and abundance of a benthic community were investigated over a period of seven months. Specifically, the sensitivity of both endpoints in distinguishing differential effects was compared.

Using meiofauna to assess pollutants in freshwater sediments: a microcosm study with cadmium.

The direct and indirect effects of Cd on benthic communities were assessed in a freshwater microcosm study over a period of seven months (218 d). Cadmium was regarded as a model substance to evaluate the usefulness of small-scale laboratory microcosm with microscopic fauna. In particular, effects on the meiofauna community, an ecologically important but rather neglected benthic component, were investigated.