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To better understand the influence of land use and meteorological parameters on air pollutants, we deployed passive air samplers in 15 regions with different land use in eastern Austria. The samplers consisted of polyurethane PUF and polyester PEF filter matrices, which were analyzed for 566 substances by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry. In a previous article, we highlighted a widespread contamination of ambient air with pesticides that depends on the surrounding land use and meteorological parameters. Here we report that, in addition to agricultural pesticides, eight other substances were frequently detected in ambient air: Nitrapyrin, a nitrification inhibitor used to increase nitrogen use efficiency of fertilizers and banned in Austria since 1993; biocides against insects (DEET and transfluthrin) used mainly outside agriculture; piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a synergist mixed into pesticide formulations; and four industrially used polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), long banned worldwide. Concentrations of the detected substances were positively related to air temperature, but only slightly related to agricultural land use in the sampler's vicinity. The city center showed the highest concentrations of biocides, PCBs and PBO, but also medium concentrations of nitrapyrin. Four sites had no air contamination with these substances; including two national parks dominated by grassland or forest, but also two sites with mixed land use. The potential human toxicity of the detected substances based on globally harmonized hazard classifications was high: seven substances had specific organ toxicity, six were cancerogenic, and two were acutely toxic; however, several substances had incomplete information of hazard profiles. Moreover, all substances were acutely and chronically toxic to aquatic life. We recommend that substances of different origins be included in the air pollution monitoring portfolio to comprehensively assess the potential hazards to humans and the environment.

Little is known about (i) how numbers and concentrations of airborne pesticide residues are influenced by land use, interactions with meteorological parameters, or by substance-specific chemo-physical properties, and (ii) what potential toxicological hazards this could pose to non-target organisms including humans. We installed passive air samplers (polyurethane PUF and polyester PEF filter matrices) in 15 regions with different land uses in eastern Austria for up to 8 months. Samples were analyzed for 566 substances by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry. We analyzed relationships between frequency and concentrations of pesticides, land use, meteorological parameters, substance properties, and season. We found totally 67 pesticide active ingredients (24 herbicides, 30 fungicides, 13 insecticides) with 10-53 pesticides per site. Herbicides metolachlor, pendimethalin, prosulfocarb, terbuthylazine, and the fungicide HCB were found in all PUF samplers, and glyphosate in all PEF samplers; chlorpyrifos-ethyl was the most abundant insecticide found in 93% of the samplers. Highest concentrations showed the herbicide prosulfocarb (725 ± 1218 ng sample

BackgroundGlyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are among the most often used pesticides. The hundreds of GBHs used worldwide consist of the active ingredient (AI) glyphosate in form of different salts, possibly other AIs, and various mostly undisclosed co-formulants. Pesticide risk assessments are commonly performed using single AIs or GBHs at standard soil conditions without vegetation. In a greenhouse experiment, we established a weed population with common amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus)to examine the effects of three GBHs (Roundup LB Plus, Roundup PowerFlex, Touchdown Quattro) and their corresponding AIs (salts of glyphosate isopropylammonium, potassium, diammonium) on the activity and physiological biomarkers (glutathione S-transferase, GST; acetylcholine esterase, AChE) of an ecologically relevant earthworm species (Lumbricus terrestris). GBHs and AIs were applied at recommended doses; hand weeding served as control. Experiments were established with two soil types differing in organic matter content (SOM; 3.0% vs. 4.1%) and other properties.ResultsEarthworm activity (casting and movement activity) decreased after application of glyphosate formulations or active ingredients compared to hand weeding. We found no consistent pattern that formulations had either higher or lower effects on earthworm activity than their active ingredients; rather, differences were substance-specific. Earthworm activity was little affected by soil organic matter levels. Biomarkers remained unaffected by weed control types; GST but not AChE was decreased under high SOM. Water infiltration after a simulated heavy rainfall was interactively affected by weed control types and SOM. Leachate amount was higher after application of formulations than active ingredients and was higher under low SOM. Glyphosate concentrations in soil and leachate were strongly affected by application of formulations or active ingredients and varied with SOM (significant weed control type x SOM interaction).ConclusionsWe found that both commercial formulations and pure active ingredients can influence earthworms with consequences on important soil functions. Glyphosate products showed increased, reduced or similar effects than pure glyphosate on particular soil functions; soil properties can substantially alter this. Especially at lower SOM, heavy rainfalls could lead to more glyphosate leaching into water bodies. A full disclosure of co-formulants would be necessary to further decipher their specific contributions to these inconsistent effects.

Herbicides are increasingly applied in vineyards worldwide. However, not much is known on potential side effects on soil organisms or on the nutrition of grapevines (Vitis vinifera). In an experimental vineyard in Austria, we examined the impacts of three within-row herbicide treatments (active ingredients: flazasulfuron, glufosinate, glyphosate) and mechanical weeding on grapevine root mycorrhization; soil microorganisms; earthworms; and nutrient concentration in grapevine roots, leaves, xylem sap and grape juice. The three herbicides reduced grapevine root mycorrhization on average by 53% compared to mechanical weeding. Soil microorganisms (total colony-forming units, CFU) were significantly affected by herbicides with highest CFUs under glufosinate and lowest under glyphosate. Earthworms (surface casting activity, density, biomass, reproduction) or litter decomposition in soil were unaffected by herbicides. Herbicides altered nutrient composition in grapevine roots, leaves, grape juice and xylem sap that was collected 11 months after herbicide application. Xylem sap under herbicide treatments also contained on average 70% more bacteria than under mechanical weeding; however, due to high variability, this was not statistically significant. We conclude that interdisciplinary approaches should receive more attention when assessing ecological effects of herbicides in vineyard ecosystems. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11356-018-2422-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are currently the most widely used agrochemicals for weed control. Environmental risk assessments (ERA) on nontarget organisms mostly consider the active ingredients (AIs) of these herbicides, while much less is known on effects of commercial GBH formulations that are actually applied in the field. Moreover, it is largely unknown to what extent different soil characteristics alter potential side effects of herbicides. We conducted a greenhouse experiment growing a model weed population of Amaranthus retroflexus in arable field soil with either 3.0 or 4.1% soil organic matter (SOM) content and treated these weeds either with GBHs (Roundup LB Plus, Touchdown Quattro, Roundup PowerFlex) or their respective AIs (isopropylammonium, diammonium or potassium salts of glyphosate) at recommended dosages. Control pots were mechanically weeded. Nontarget effects were assessed on the surface activity of the springtail species Sminthurinus niger (pitfall trapping) and litter decomposition in the soil (teabag approach). Both GBHs and AIs increased the surface activity of springtails compared to control pots; springtail activity was higher under GBHs than under corresponding AIs. Stimulation of springtail activity was much higher in soil with higher SOM content than with low SOM content (significant treatment x SOM interaction). Litter decomposition was unaffected by GBHs, AIs or SOM levels. We suggest that ERAs for pesticides should be performed with actually applied herbicides rather than only on AIs and should also consider influences of different soil properties.

Nach dem Betreten einer Bibliothek verwandelt sich der aufrecht schreitende Mensch – der Biologielehrer sprach vom „homo erectus“ – in einen sich der stundenlangen Sitzhaltung mit gekrümmtem Rücken hingebenden „homo bibliothecarius sedutus“. Mangelnde Bewegung und starres Sitzen schaden bekanntlich nicht nur dem Körper. Als Form zeitgemäßen Lernens empfehlen Mediziner und Ergonomen hingegen ein dynamisches Sitzen, bei dem die Position verändert werden kann, was die Durchblutung fördert und durch erhöhte Sauerstoffzufuhr zu einer besseren Konzentrationsfähigkeit führt.

In a vineyard we examined the effects of broad-spectrum herbicides with three different active ingredients (glyphosate, glufosinate, flazasulfuron) on soil microorganisms. Mechanical weeding served as control treatment. Treatments were applied within grapevine rows and soil samples taken from there in 10–20 cm depth 77 days after application. Fungi were analyzed using classical sequencing technology and bacteria using next-generation sequencing. The number of colony-forming units (CFU) comprising bacteria, yeasts and molds was higher under flazasulfuron compared to all other treatments which had similar CFU levels. Abundance of the fungus Mucor was higher under flazasulfuron than glufosinate and mechanical weeding; Mucor was absent under glyphosate. Several other fungi taxa were exclusively found under a specific treatment. Up to 160 different bacteria species were found – some of them for the first time in vineyard soils. Total bacterial counts under herbicides were on average 260% higher than under mechanical weeding; however due to high variability this was not statistically significant. We suggest that herbicide-induced alterations of soil microorganisms could have knock-on effects on other parts of the grapevine system.

When monitoring the activity and diversity of arthropods in protected areas it is ethically advisable to use non-destructive methods in order to avoid detrimental effects on natural populations and communities. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of three methods for potential use for arthropod monitoring in a protected grassland: pitfall trapping, quadrat sampling and video monitoring. Pitfall trapping was conducted either during the day or over night (cup diameter 6.5 cm, unfenced, without preservation fluid). Quadrat sampling was conducted within a metal frame (width × length × height: 50 × 50 × 30 cm). Video monitoring was done on a 68 × 37 cm area using a digital high-density video camera mounted on a tripod. The study site was located in a semi-dry grassland northwest of Vienna, Austria (305 m a.s.l., 48°27′ E, 16°34′ N); the three methods were replicated five times. Across the sampling methods a total of 24 arthropod orders were observed with Hymenoptera being the most abundant, followed by Diptera and Coleoptera. The sampling methods differed considerably in number of arthropods recorded: video monitoring (2578 individuals) followed by quadrat sampling (202 individuals), nocturnal (43 individuals) and diurnal pitfall trapping (12 individuals). Diversity of arthropod assemblages varied highly significantly among the tested methods with quadrat sampling yielding the highest diversity 0.70 ± 0.22 (Gini–Simpson index, mean ±SD) followed by video monitoring (0.57 ± 0.15), diurnal pitfall sampling (0.35 ± 0.28) and nocturnal pitfall sampling (0.17 ± 0.24). Video surveillance of the pitfall traps showed that out of a total of 151 individuals crawling in the vicinity of pitfall traps none of them were actually trapped. A tabular comparison listing the advantages and disadvantages of the sampling methods is presented. Taken together, our results suggest that video monitoring has a great potential as a supplementary method for quantitative and qualitative assessments of arthropod activity and diversity in grasslands.

BackgroundGlyphosate-based herbicides are the most widely used pesticides in agriculture, horticulture, municipalities and private gardens that can potentially contaminate nearby water bodies inhabited by amphibians and algae. Moreover, the development and diversity of these aquatic organisms could also be affected by human-induced climate change that might lead to more periods with extreme temperatures. However, to what extent non-target effects of these herbicides on amphibians or algae are altered by varying temperature is not well known.MethodsWe studied effects of five concentrations of the glyphosate-based herbicide formulation Roundup PowerFlex (0, 1.5, 3, 4 mg acid equivalent glyphosate L−1as a one time addition and a pulse treatment of totally 4 mg a.e. glyphosate L−1) on larval development of Common toads (Bufo bufo, L.; Amphibia: Anura) and associated algae communities under two temperature regimes (15 vs. 20 °C).ResultsHerbicide contamination reduced tail growth (−8%), induced the occurrence of tail deformations (i.e. lacerated or crooked tails) and reduced algae diversity (−6%). Higher water temperature increased tadpole growth (tail and body length (tl/bl) +66%, length-to-width ratio +4%) and decreased algae diversity (−21%). No clear relation between herbicide concentrations and tadpole growth or algae density or diversity was observed. Interactive effects of herbicides and temperature affected growth parameters, tail deformation and tadpole mortality indicating that the herbicide effects are temperature-dependent. Remarkably, herbicide-temperature interactions resulted in deformed tails in 34% of all herbicide treated tadpoles at 15 °C whereas no tail deformations were observed for the herbicide-free control at 15 °C or any tadpole at 20 °C; herbicide-induced mortality was higher at 15 °C but lower at 20 °C.DiscussionThese herbicide- and temperature-induced changes may have decided effects on ecological interactions in freshwater ecosystems. Although no clear dose-response effect was seen, the presence of glyphosate was decisive for an effect, suggesting that the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) in our study was 1.5 mg a.e. glyphosate L−1water. Overall, our findings also question the relevance of pesticide risk assessments conducted at standard temperatures.

Glyphosate-based herbicide formulations are broadly used in agriculture, silviculture, horticulture as well as in private gardens all over the world, thus posing the risk of potential contamination of nearby aquatic bodies inhabited by amphibians. Concurrently, climate change can be expected to alter the temperature of amphibian breeding sites. However, while either glyphosate-based herbicides or temperature have been shown to separately affect the development of amphibians, very little is known on possible interactive effects. We studied the impact of herbicide concentrations and temperature on growth and development of eggs and tadpoles of the Common toad (Bufo bufo L.). We hypothesized that (i) eggs would be better protected against herbicides than tadpoles because of their jelly coating, (ii) that higher temperatures would reduce potential herbicide effects because of an accelerated growth and a lower sensitivity of larger specimens. We conducted one experiment starting with eggs (Gosner stage, GS 8) and another experiment starting with tadpoles (GS 21–24) using a full factorial design with 5 concentrations of the herbicide formulation Roundup® LB Plus (0.0 mg acid equivalent L−1, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg a.e. L−1 and a pulse treatment with 3 times (egg experiment) or 5 times (tadpole experiment) addition of 0.5 a.e. mg L−1 over the course of several weeks) and two temperature levels (15 and 20°C). Contrary to our expectation, our results showed that toad eggs are more sensitive to herbicides than tadpoles leading to an averaged 31% increase in total length, tail length, and body length compared to the herbicide-free control. Tadpole morphology, development, or mortality was not influenced by herbicides. There was no correlation between herbicide concentration and the effect strength on eggs or tadpoles. Higher temperature accelerated growth of both eggs and tadpoles. As one of the first we also observed interactive effects between herbicide concentrations and temperature especially for egg development resulting in more pronounced herbicide effects at lower temperatures than at higher temperatures. This is quite remarkable as ecotoxicologial risk assessment studies are usually conducted at a constant temperature, thereby perhaps not adequately examining non-target effects at natural conditions. more pronounced herbicide effects at lower temperatures than at higher temperatures. This is quite remarkable as ecotoxicologial risk assessment studies are usually conducted at a constant temperature, thereby perhaps not adequately examining non-target effects at natural conditions.

The phenology of calling activity and reproduction of a neotropical anuran community in French Guiana was studied during one rainy season. We investigated the correlation between calling activity, rainfall, temperature and water level in two ponds and recorded the occurrence of tadpoles of pond-breeding species. The study site contained 31 calling frog species, which were divided into groups according to reproductive mode. Increased rainfall was associated with increased reproductive activity in all groups, but temporal patterns in calling activity varied significantly between groups. Species with aquatic oviposition exhibited sporadic acoustic activity, aggregating into explosive breeding events following heavy rainfall. Species laying eggs in foam nests had the peak of calling activity at the start of the rainy season. Taxa with embryonic development on vegetation called mainly from middle to late wet season, being the only group which showed a significant correlation of calling with increasing water level. Dendrobatids with terrestrial oviposition and subsequent parental tadpole transportation were continuously active. Species with direct development or with non-feeding larvae were mainly active at the beginning of the rainy season. It is concluded that phenologies of calling activity in South American tropical anuran species are strongly influenced by abiotic factors like rainfall and availability of breeding sites. The temporal limitation of the rainy season forces species to adjust calling and reproductive activity according to their reproductive modes.