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A key aspect of the transformation of the economic sector towards a sustainable bioeconomy is the development of environmentally friendly alternatives for hitherto used chemicals, which have negative impacts on environmental health. However, the implementation of an ecotoxicological hazard assessment at early steps of product development to elaborate the most promising candidates of lowest harm is scarce in industry practice. The present article introduces the interdisciplinary proof-of-concept project GreenToxiConomy, which shows the successful application of a Green Toxicology strategy for biosurfactants and a novel microgel-based pesticide release system. Both groups are promising candidates for industrial and agricultural applications and the ecotoxicological characterization is yet missing important information. An iterative substance- and application-oriented bioassay battery for acute and mechanism-specific toxicity within aquatic and terrestrial model species is introduced for both potentially hazardous materials getting into contact with humans and ending up in the environment. By applying in silico QSAR-based models on genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, skin sensitization and acute toxicity to algae, daphnids and fish individual biosurfactants resulted in deviating toxicity, suggesting a pre-ranking of the compounds. Experimental toxicity assessment will further complement the predicted toxicity to elaborate the most promising candidates in an efficient pre-screening of new substances.

This study investigated the response patterns of aboveground macrofungal communities to different management stages representing a forest conversion from Norway spruce (Picea abies) to European beech (Fagus sylvatica) in the Eifel National Park, Germany. We used a space-for-time substitution approach with three replicate study sites for each forest conversion stage: (I) even-aged single species Norway spruce, (II) unmanaged Norway spruce windthrow, (III) salvage-logged Norway spruce windthrow, (IV) single Norway spruce tree selection cutting (close-to-nature managed) with European beech underplanting and (V) old-growth, uneven-aged European beech (as reference). We assessed environmental variables and macrofungal sporocarps, while the latter were categorized into functional groups to link taxonomic information to potential ecosystem functions. Overall, we observed 235 macrofungal species. The highest species richness was found in the European beech reference stage, followed by the close-to-nature managed spruce/beech stage, while the Norway spruce stage showed approximately half the species richness, similar to the species level of both windthrow stages. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination separated each forest conversion stage into distinct fungal communities, while both windthrow stages could not be distinguished from each other. Beside tree species composition change and forest management, nutrient availability and microclimate were the main drivers of fungal community changes among the five differently-managed stages. Further, different functional groups responded in different patterns to forest management and to explanatory environmental variables. We reinforced the assumption, that old-growth, uneven-aged European beech forests (>120 years) can act as a refugium for unique forest type specific fungal communities with a higher functional structure, especially contrary to non-native, even-aged Norway spruce forests (∼70 years). Single Norway spruce tree selection cutting with further introduction of European beech trees can be an adequate strategy to allow a spruce forest conversion without necessarily reducing the macrofungal species richness and its functional structure. We displayed that ecological consequences of windthrow events can be a depression of fungal species richness and a collapse for the functional structure of fungi, especially after salvage logging. Our study underlines the need of including fungal conservation in forest conversion plans to optimize forest ecosystem integrity and resilience against biotic and abiotic agents, such as windstorm events.

Vegetation succession in the water level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) is driven by periodical water fluctuations, the mechanisms of response and synergistic evolution between aboveground vegetation (AGV) and soil seed bank (SSB) in the WLFZ remain unclear. To illustrate the response between AGV and SSB and the importance of SSB for revegetation in the WLFZ, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) was taken as the target in the current study, and five sampling sites that lie in the center of reservoir and major tributaries of the TGR were selected. Plant community survey along the three water level gradients (i.e., 165-170 m, 170-175 m and 175-180 m) was conducted. Simultaneously, SSB samples on the topsoil (0-5 cm) were collected for germination experiments. A total of forty-nine species were observed from the SSB, belonging to 24 families and 47 genera, of which Asteraceae (8 species) and Poaceae (6 species) dominated. The number of total germinated seedlings species from soil samples from the sampling sites differed, i.e., was lower in Fengjie and Wushan compared to Yunyang, Gaoyang and Fengdu. The seed density in 165-170 m was significantly lower than that of 170-175 m and 175-180 m (p0.05). The Sørensen similarity coefficients between AGV and SSB tended to decrease with the increase of water level gradient, ranging from 0.04 to 0.42. SSB species composition was significantly associated with total carbon and total nitrogen contents of the soil (both p0.05). The SSB density was significantly negatively correlated with concentration of soil total nitrogen (p0.05), the species richness of SSB was significantly negatively correlated with soil pH value (p0.05). Hence, the relationship between the SSB and the soil habitat might be an important factor driving the construction of vegetation in the WLFZ. The correlation between dynamic of SSB and TGR hydrological regimes should be considered for revegetation in the WLFZ.

The aim of this study was to quantify uncertainty when assigning field investigation sites according to their species community composition to either undisturbed or disturbed reference sites by use of ecological indicators. In ecological risk assessment this problem arises when selecting control investigation sites or defining reference species communities. Uncertainty is quantified using a Type II error or misclassification rate. A probabilistic Bayesian model is used to integrate a priori domain knowledge, assess the error rate and come to recommendations about an adequate sample size. Application is demonstrated using data from a case study investigating off-crop arthropod communities in German grassy field margins and consequences for impact assessment of pesticides on terrestrial ecosystems. The model allows calculating statistical power when using such a classification system. By means of stochastic simulations, recommendations about experimental design and indicator size are derived. The study shows that to develop a classification system to typify newly observed sites a well-balanced ratio of undisturbed and disturbed sites as well as a high relevance of reference sites are needed. For the given data set, a much larger number of reference sites as well as increased relevance of selected reference sites would be needed to achieve a good classification result. An optimal number of indicators is calculated allowing for a compromise between sampling error and indicator quality. Uncertainty for correct assignment of an investigation site is compared using indicators for disturbance and reference conditions. Finally, misclassification rate is proposed as a new measure for indicator quality.

Field studies to determine the effects of chemicals on earthworm communities are generally conducted according to International Organization for Standardization standard 11268‐3 (and later comments). However, statistical test procedures suggested in the guideline are frequently criticized, mainly for 2 reasons: 1) Earthworm abundances are count data and often do not fulfill requirements for multiple t tests (normal distribution and homogeneity of variance), and 2) the resulting toxicity metrics of multiple testing procedures (no/lowest‐observed‐effect concentrations [NOEC/LOEC]) fail to adequately detect the actual level of effects. Recently, a new method to overcome these shortcomings was presented by the introduction of the closure principle computational approach test (CPCAT). We applied this statistical method to assess chemical effects on abundance in a large dataset of 26 earthworm field studies (with up to 3 test chemical application rates) and an additional extended study with 6 application rates. A comparative analysis was provided considering results of well‐established multiple testing approaches (Dunnett's test) with particular consideration of the degree of overdispersion found in these data. It was shown that the CPCAT detects substantially more effects in earthworm field tests as statistically significant than standard t test approaches. This lowered the LOEC/NOEC for many chemical treatments to control comparisons. As a consequence, the statistically detected NOECs/LOECs were often set at lower percentage deviations between control and chemical treatment. This is the first time the performance of the CPCAT has been assessed within a comprehensive analysis of earthworm field study data. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1750–1760. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC., Umweltbundesamt http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100010809

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are promising nanomaterials in modern nanotechnology and their use in many different applications leads to an inevitable release into the aquatic environment. In this study, we quantified trophic transfer of weathered multi-walled carbon nanotubes (wMWCNT) from green algae to primary consumer Daphnia magna in a concentration of 100 μg L−1 using radioactive labeling of the carbon backbone (14C-wMWCNT). Trophic transfer of wMWCNT was compared to the uptake by daphnids exposed to nanomaterials in the water phase without algae. Due to the rather long observed CNT sedimentation times (DT) from the water phase (DT50: 3.9 days (d), DT90: 12.8 d) wMWCNT interact with aquatic organisms and associated to the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Raphidocelis subcapitata. After the exposition of algae, the nanotubes accumulated to a maximum of 1.6 ± 0.4 μg 14C-wMWCNT mg−1 dry weight−1 (dw−1) and 0.7 ± 0.3 μg 14C-wMWCNT mg−1 dw−1 after 24 h and 48 h, respectively. To study trophic transfer, R. subcapitata was loaded with 14C-wMWCNT and subsequently fed to D. magna. A maximum body burden of 0.07 ± 0.01 μg 14C-wMWCNT mg−1 dw−1 and 7.1 ± 1.5 μg 14C-wMWCNT mg−1 dw−1 for D. magna after trophic transfer and waterborne exposure was measured, respectively, indicating no CNT accumulation after short-term exposure via trophic transfer. Additionally, the animals eliminated nanomaterials from their guts, while feeding algae facilitated their excretion. Further, accumulation of 14C-wMWCNT in a growing population of D. magna revealed a maximum uptake of 0.7 ± 0.2 μg mg−1 dw−1. Therefore, the calculated bioaccumulation factor (BAF) after 28 d of 6700 ± 2900 L kg−1 is above the limit that indicates a chemical is bioaccumulative in the European Union Regulation REACH. Although wMWCNT did not bioaccumulate in neonate D. magna after trophic transfer, wMWCNT enriched in a 28 d growing D. magna population regardless of daily feeding, which increases the risk of CNT accumulation along the aquatic food chain.

The science of the total environment 751, 141607 (2021). doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141607, Published by Elsevier Science, Amsterdam [u.a.]

PLOS ONE 15(7), e0235492 (2020). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235492, Published by PLOS, San Francisco, California, US

Graphical abstract, In agricultural landscapes it is common practice to apply pesticides as a spray series. Within a vegetation period multiple applications result in a mixture of different pesticides in the soil and other environmental compartments. • A model named MITAS (MIxture Toxicity of Application Spray series) has been developed to calculate the soil concentration of pesticides and the resulting time-dependent mixture risk for earthworms. MITAS creates tables and graphs representing the mixture risk for an applied spray series time-dependently. • A simulation of the impact of application series for a period of up to three years is possible with MITAS. Calculation of the soil concentration is based on the assumptions of the German pesticide registration. Mixture risk for each day within the entire modelling period is calculated. • Mixtures of pesticides from former and multiple applications are the rule in agricultural soils as various studies have shown. Thus, considering the impact of pesticide mixtures is necessary to protect soil organisms. MITAS can assess not only the maximum mixture risk for soil organisms, but also how long a certain risk threshold may be exceeded, above which unacceptable effects on exposed organisms may occur.

Environmental sciences Europe 32(1), 79 (2020). doi:10.1186/s12302-020-00355-0, Published by Springer, Heidelberg

Dams have profound impacts on river ecosystems, amongst them inundation of land, altered dynamics of the water body or uprising reservoir backwaters influencing tributary or upstream river sections. Along the outstandingly ecologically important Yangtze River in China, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is the largest project, covering an area of 1080 km 2 . From the beginning, the dam-project came in for criticism on increasing environmental risks due to sub-merging former industrial and urban areas. We simulated dynamics of biotic and abiotic components of the TGR ecosystem (trophic guilds of aquatic organisms, hydrodynamics, nutrients), as well as the behaviour of the herbicidal substance propanil and its metabolites 3,4-Dichloroaniline (DCA) and 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachloroazoxybenzene (TCAB). A modelling environment, provided by the AQUATOX software, was adapted to the specific situation at a tributary reach to the Yangtze river ‘Daning River’. As the simulated food web contained several interconnected trophic levels, a significant biomagnification of metabolites was demonstrated by our simulation studies. In particular, newly emerging stagnant downstream sections of tributaries exhibited high probabilities due to accumulating pesticides from upstream sources. The common problem of algal blooms in the TGR-region was addressed by dose-response simulation experiments with essential nutrients. Impacts on structure and abundance of populations of aquatic organisms were shown. However, even high nutrient loads resulted in only slight changes of densities of organisms of all trophic levels. Nevertheless, the probabilities for large-scale algal blooms affecting drinking water quality were considered low because of high flow velocities and discharge rates towards the Yangtze River. We see high potential of simulation-based assessments that provide information for risk managers dealing with whole catchment areas. They are put in the position to differentiate the magnitude of impacts of various factors and decide about the most effective remediation measures.

This dataset includes 235 aboveground macrofungal species observed at 15 sampling sites, which are associated with five different forest conversion stages. We used a space-for-time substitution approach to represent a forest conversion from Norway spruce (Picea abies) to European beech (Fagus sylvatica) through three different, widely used management practices. In addition to the results of 75 macrofungal field surveys, this data article includes information about site characteristics, vegetation structure, and observation frequencies. A multivariate statistic and myco-ecological interpretation of the macrofungal dataset is presented in an associated research article entitled “Forest conversion from Norway spruce to European beech increases species richness and functional structure of aboveground macrofungal communities” (Heine et al., 2019) [1] .

Urban areas and their development depress water physicochemical properties, river habitats and aquatic biotic integrity worldwide. Benthic macroinvertebrates at 61 sites representing three types of river reach locations (upstream rural areas, intermediate and downstream of urban areas) on the Liangtan River, a rapidly urbanized river with untreated sewage discharge in southwest China, were examined to compare their community composition and diversity. Their relationships with environmental variables were also explored. The results indicate a significant reduction in sensitive EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) species, dominance by a few tolerant taxa (Oligochaeta and Chironomidae), a significant decline in biodiversity and dominance of collector-gatherers at intermediate and downstream urban sites compared with aquatic macroinvertebrates at rural sites. The community composition of urban sites were different from those of rural sites and were quite similar to those of downstream sites, but maintained a much higher Oligochaeta density. The species-environment relation was predominately explained by the percentage of impervious area (PIA) and farmland at the catchment scale. At the local scale chemical oxygen demand (COD) and pH-value explained this relationship. Six community indicators, including richness, the Shannon-Wiener index, EPT(%), collector-filterers(%), scrapers(%) and collector-gatherers(%), had exponential relationships with PIA. Density of macroinvertebrates, Oligochaeta density, Oligochaeta(%), predator(%) and shredder(%) exhibited stepped threshold response patterns with PIA. Pielou's index had an approximately negative linear relationship with PIA. For exponential pattern, a threshold value of PIA between 10.6% and 14.4% was found. For stepped threshold response pattern, the first threshold was between 11.2% and 13.8%, and the second threshold was 23.8%. Our study indicates particularly great influences of urbanization with untreated sewage on macroinvertebrates and river ecosystems. PIA also showed to be a good indicator of urbanization and an accurate predictor of urban impacts on river macroinvertebrate integrity.

Lake ecosystems are sensitive recorders of environmental changes that provide continuous archives at annual to decadal resolution over thousands of years. The systematic investigation of land use changes and emission of pollutants archived in Holocene lake sediments as well as the reconstruction of contamination, background conditions, and sensitivity of lake systems offer an ideal opportunity to study environmental dynamics and consequences of anthropogenic impact that increasingly pose risks to human well-being. This paper discusses the use of sediment and other lines of evidence in providing a record of historical and current contamination in lake ecosystems. We present a novel approach to investigate impacts from human activities using chemical-analytical, bioanalytical, ecological, paleolimnological, paleoecotoxicological, archeological as well as modeling techniques. This multi-time slice weight-of-evidence (WOE) approach will generate knowledge on conditions prior to anthropogenic influence and provide knowledge to (i) create a better understanding of the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on biodiversity, (ii) assess water quality by using quantitative data on historical pollution and persistence of pollutants archived over thousands of years in sediments, and (iii) define environmental threshold values using modeling methods. This technique may be applied in order to gain insights into reference conditions of surface and ground waters in catchments with a long history of land use and human impact, which is still a major need that is currently not yet addressed within the context of the European Water Framework Directive.

New species records for the Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) from studies in forests from the Eastern Eifel region are reported. Ischyropsalis hellwigii hellwigii (Panzer, 1794) is recorded for the first time west of the river Rhine. Other remarkable species are Oreonetides quadridentatus (Wunderlich, 1972), to date known from only ten other localities in Germany, Coelotes atropos (Walckenaer, 1830), Gibbaranea omoeda (Thorell, 1870) and Robertus scoticus Jackson, 1914.

Facing the growing amount of people living in cities and, at the same time, the need for a compact and sustainable urban development to mitigate urban sprawl, it becomes increasingly important that green spaces in compact cities are designed to meet the various needs within an urban environment. Urban green spaces have a multitude of functions: Maintaining ecological processes and resulting services, e.g. providing habitat for animals and plants, providing a beneficial city microclimate as well as recreational space for citizens. Regarding these requirements, currently existing assessment procedures for green spaces have some major shortcomings, which are discussed in this paper. It is argued why a more detailed spatial level as well as a distinction between natural and artificial varieties of structural elements is justified and needed and how the assessment of urban green spaces benefits from the multidimensional perspective that is applied. By analyzing a selection of structural elements from an ecological, microclimatic and social perspective, indicator values are derived and a new, holistic metrics 1 is proposed. The results of the integrated analysis led to two major findings: first, that for some elements, the evaluation differs to a great extent between the different perspectives (disciplines) and second, that natural and artificial varieties are, in most cases, evaluated considerably different from each other. The differences between the perspectives call for an integrative planning policy which acknowledges the varying contribution of a structural element to different purposes (ecological, microclimatic, social) as well as a discussion about the prioritization of those purposes. The differences in the evaluation of natural vs. artificial elements verify the assumption that indicators which consider only generic elements fail to account for those refinements and are thus less suitable for planning and assessment purposes. Implications, challenges and scenarios for the application of such a metrics are finally discussed.

Pesticide applications in agricultural crops often comprise a mixture of plant protection products (PPP), and single fields face multiple applications per year leading to complex pesticide mixtures in the environment. Restricted to single PPP, the current European Union PPP regulation, however, disregards the ecological risks of pesticide mixtures. To quantify this additional risk, we evaluated the contribution of single pesticide active ingredients to the additive mixture risk for aquatic risk indicators (invertebrates and algae) in 464 different PPP used, 3446 applications sprayed and 830 water samples collected in Central Europe, Germany. We identified an average number of 1.3 different pesticides in a single PPP, 3.1 for complete applications often involving multiple PPP and 30 in stream water samples. Under realistic worst-case conditions, the estimated stream water pesticide risk based on additive effects was 3.2 times higher than predicted from single PPP. We found that in streams, however, the majority of regulatory threshold exceedances was caused by single pesticides alone (69% for algae, 81% for invertebrates). Both in PPP applications and in stream samples, pesticide exposure occurred in repeated pulses each driven by one to few alternating pesticides. The time intervals between pulses were shorter than the 8 weeks considered for ecological recovery in environmental risk assessment in 88% of spray series and 53% of streams. We conclude that pesticide risk assessment should consider an additional assessment factor to account for the additive, but also potential synergistic simultaneous pesticide mixture risk. Additionally, future research and risk assessment need to address the risk from the frequent sequential pesticide exposure observed in this study.

Analyzing fungal diversity and community composition through environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and high-throughput sequencing relies on sequence databases and their taxonomic coverage which are often doubted in regards of data accuracy. To assess the potential of eDNA metabarcoding to distinguish differently managed forest conversion stages, we compared an extant morphological dataset created through sporocarp surveys with a metabarcoding dataset from the same study sites. The study was conducted along a spruce forest conversion project of Norway spruce towards European beech in the Eifel National Park in Germany. Using the UNITE ITS reference database, a total of 198 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were assigned up to the species level. Comparing the morphological and metabarcoding dataset, a low species overlap was observed with 27 shared fungi. The metabarcoding dataset revealed that all investigated forest conversion management stages shared beech-associated fungi (even the spruce forests), while within the morphological dataset, only the beech-inhabiting forest conversion management stages showed beech-associated fungi. The metabarcoding dataset could not show the same fungal community response patterns on the spruce forest conversion, compared to the morphological dataset, but revealed the genetic refugium of the soil fungal community. We conclude that fungal eDNA metabarcoding should always be evaluated by taxonomic experts to identify potential sequence database errors. eDNA metabarcoding cannot be used interchangeably for morphological community analyses to identify response patterns of fungal communities on forest management strategies. However, both approaches performed well in combination and showed that beech-associated fungal communities with high functional redundancy can develop after a spruce forest conversion by restoring natural European beech forests with an appropriate close-to-nature management strategy.

Multiple pesticide residues in the environment originate from combination products with two or more active substances, from tank mixtures prepared by the farmers and from subsequent applications of pesticides in spray series. Consequently, mixtures of pesticide residues in agricultural soils are often detected long after application. To simulate the “accumulated mixture risk” towards earthworms resulting from a pesticide spray series for apple orchards, a model was applied considering both the dissipation of the applied pesticides over time and their individual toxicities. The model simulation for assessing the time-dependent mixture risk is applicable for several years and revealed that the “accumulated mixture risk” for earthworms clearly did not meet the threshold values for an acceptable risk according to the legal requirements in the EU approval procedure. Multiple pesticide residues from spray series are not yet considered in the environmental risk assessment (ERA) which is based on the application of single pesticide substances and products. We propose that the accumulation of residues during typical agricultural spray series should be included when assessing the risk of pesticides.

Agrochemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers, have facilitated an unprecedented intensification of agriculture [1, 2]. However, the desired yield gains come at the cost of unwanted side effects on the environment. Pesticides have been demonstrated to contribute to the decline of non-target organisms, such as bees, birds and aquatic biodiversity [3, 4, 5], fueling the global biodiversity crisis. This runs contrary to global efforts to protect biodiversity and, in particular, also to the aims of the European Union’s (EU) pesticide regulation [6]. Consistent exceedances of regulatory thresholds [7] and revisions of authorizations of pesticides, such as of neonicotinoid insecticides in the EU by the Standing Committee on plants, animals, food and feed (PAFF Committee), also attest to deficiencies in regulatory pesticide risk assessment and management., Environmental Sciences Europe, 31, ISSN:2190-4715, ISSN:2190-4707

To avoid potential risks of biofuels on the environment and human, ecotoxicity investigation should be integrated into the early design stage for promising biofuel candidates. In the present study, a green toxicology testing strategy combining experimental bioassays with in silico tools was established to investigate the potential ecotoxicity of biofuel candidates. Experimental results obtained from the acute immobilisation test, the fish embryo acute toxicity test and the in vitro micronucleus assay (Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line V79) were compared with model prediction results by ECOSAR and OECD QSAR Toolbox. Both our experimental and model prediction results showed that 1-Octanol (1-Oct) and Di-n-butyl ether (DNBE) were the most toxic to Daphnia magna and zebrafish among all the biofuel candidates we investigated, while Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), Dimethoxymethane (DMM) and Diethoxymethane (DEM) were the least toxic. Moreover, both in vitro micronucleus assay and OECD QSAR Toolbox evaluation suggested that the metabolites present higher genotoxicity than biofuel candidates themselves. Overall, our results proved that this green toxicology testing strategy is a useful tool for assessing ecotoxicity of biofuel candidates.

3,4,3ʹ,4ʹ-tetrachloroazobenzene (TCAB) is not commercially manufactured but formed as an unwanted by-product in the manufacturing of 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA) or metabolized from the degradation of chloranilide herbicides, like propanil. While a considerable amount of research has been done concerning the toxicological and ecotoxicological effects of propanil and 3,4-DCA, limited information is available on TCAB. Our study examined the toxicity of TCAB in comparison to its parent compounds propanil and 3,4-DCA, using a battery of bioassays including in vitro with aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediated activity by the 7-ethoxyresorufin- O -deethylase (EROD) assay and micro-EROD, endocrine-disrupting activity with chemically activated luciferase gene expression (CALUX) as well as in vivo with fish embryo toxicity (FET) assays with Danio rerio . Moreover, the quantitative structure activity response (QSAR) concepts were applied to simulate the binding affinity of TCAB to certain human receptors. It was shown that TCAB has a strong binding affinity to the AhR in EROD and micro-EROD induction assay, with the toxic equivalency factor (TEF) of 8.7 × 10 − 4 and 1.2 × 10 − 5 , respectively. TCAB presented to be a weak endocrine disrupting compound with a value of estradiol equivalence factor (EEF) of 6.4 × 10 − 9 and dihydrotestosterone equivalency factor (DEF) of 1.1 × 10 − 10 . No acute lethal effects of TCAB were discovered in FET test after 96 h of exposure. Major sub-lethal effects detected were heart oedema, yolk malformation, as well as absence of blood flow and tail deformation. QSAR modelling suggested an elevated risk to environment, particularly with respect to binding to the AhR. An adverse effect potentially triggering ERβ, mineralocorticoid, glucocorticoid and progesterone receptor activities might be expected. Altogether, the results obtained suggest that TCAB exerts a higher toxicity than both propanil and 3,4-DCA. This should be considered when assessing the impact of these compounds for the environment and also for regulatory decisions.

Besides obvious benefits, the Three Gorges Dam's construction resulted in new pollution scenarios with the potentials to threaten the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) ecosystem. In order to record organic contamination, to find links to ecotoxicological impacts and to serve as reference for ensuing monitoring, several sites in the TGR area were screened applying the triad approach with additional lines-of-evidence as a holistic assessment method. Sediments and the benthic fish species Pelteobagrus vachellii were sampled in 2011 and 2012 to determine organic pollution levels, mutagenic potentials and genotoxic impacts. Two regional hot-spots near the cities of Chongqing and Kaixian were identified and further investigated in 2013. Only polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) could be detected in sediments in 2011 (165-1653ng/g), emphasizing their roles as key pollutants of the area. Their ubiquity was confirmed at Chongqing (150-433ng/g) and Kaixian (127-590ng/g) in 2013. Concentrations were comparable to other major Chinese and German rivers. However, the immense sediment influx suggested a deposition of 216-636kgPAH/day (0.2-0.6mgPAH/(m(2)·day)), indicating an ecotoxicological risk. PAH source analysis highlighted primary impacts of combustion sources on the more industrialized upper TGR section, whereas petrogenic sources dominated the mid-low section. Furthermore, sediment extracts from several sites exhibited significant activities of frameshift promutagens in the Ames fluctuation assay. Additionally, significant genotoxic impairments in erythrocytes of P. vachellii were detected (Chongqing/Kaixian), demonstrating the relevance of genotoxicity as an important mode of action in the TGR's fish. PAHs, their derivatives and non-target compounds are considered as main causative agents.

The RISKMIN Model was a research project of the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety to develop a landscape-based mitigation approach for assessing different measures and their effects on agrobiodiversity. Based on an interdisciplinary cooperation between different research groups in Germany two representative landscapes were chosen as pilot regions. Based on a very high resolution landscape analysis and a comprehensive survey of the biodiversity in these regions a simulation of different risk mitigation measures was realized by reference to potential scenarios. The resulting effects could be quantified and visualized with the help of geographic information systems (GIS). Main results are that the most effects on landscape level are the extensification of the land use, but on the other hand, that the combination of in crop and off crop measures does have the most effects for the landscape elements with the highest ecological values., Модель RISKMIN является исследовательским проектом Федерального управления по защите прав потребителей и безопасности пищевых продуктов Германии по разработке ландшафтного подхода к смягчению негативных последствий и для оценки различных мер и их воздействия на агробиоразнообразие. На основе междисциплинарного сотрудничества между различными исследовательскими группами в Германии в качестве пилотных регионов были выбраны два репрезентативных ландшафта. Основываясь на ландшафтном анализе с очень высоким разрешением и всестороннем обзоре биоразнообразия в этих регионах, было проведено моделирование различных мер по снижению риска с учетом возможных сценариев. Полученные результаты можно количественно оценить и визуализировать с помощью географических информационных систем (ГИС). Основные результаты заключаются в том, что наибольшее влияние на ландшафтный уровень оказывает экстенсификация землепользования, но, с другой стороны, сочетание мер в области растениеводства оказывает наибольшее воздействие на элементы ландшафта с самыми высокими экологическими ценностями.

Soils are faced with man-made chemical stress factors, such as the input of organic or metal-containing pesticides, in combination with non-chemical stressors like soil compaction and natural disturbance like drought. Although multiple stress factors are typically co-occurring in soil ecosystems, research in soil sciences on this aspect is limited and focuses mostly on single structural or functional endpoints. A mechanistic understanding of the reaction of soils to multiple stressors is currently lacking. Based on a review of resilience theory, we introduce a new concept for research on the ability of polluted soil (xenobiotics or other chemical pollutants as one stressor) to resist further natural or anthropogenic stress and to retain its functions and structure. There is strong indication that pollution as a primary stressor will change the system reaction of soil, i.e., its resilience, stability and resistance. It can be expected that pollution affects the physiological adaption of organisms and the functional redundancy of the soil to further stress. We hypothesize that the recovery of organisms and chemical-physical properties after impact of a follow-up stressor is faster in polluted soil than in non-polluted soil, i.e., polluted soil has a higher dynamical stability (dynamical stability=1/recovery time), whereas resilience of the contaminated soil is lower compared to that of not or less contaminated soil. Thus, a polluted soil might be more prone to change into another system regime after occurrence of further stress. We highlight this issue by compiling the literature exemplarily for the effects of Cu contamination and compaction on soil functions and structure. We propose to intensify research on effects of combined stresses involving a multidisciplinary team of experts and provide suggestions for corresponding experiments. Our concept offers thus a framework for system level analysis of soils paving the way to enhance ecological theory.

Land use change next to climate change is considered an important factor for the vanishing biodiversity. Semi-natural grasslands belong to the most species-rich biotope types in Central Europe. Bridging the gap between science and application is therefore needed to deliver scientific knowledge of ecosystem-functioning and underlying key-processes to authorities allowing successful landscape management. However, current model approaches are mostly restricted to low resolution in means of space, species and complexity. The aim of this study was to develop a process-based succession model for temperate grasslands linked to a geographic information system integrating spatial explicit input data from the real landscape and visualizing output in raster maps, which is a prerequisite for application. To cope with the trade-off between the fine resolution and the data-hunger of a mechanistic landscape model, within the presented model approach the complexity was reduced to three parameters that determine species’ growth and thus competitive power: maximal growth rate, a factor for self-regulation, and Briemle's utilization numbers. Following the principles of phytosociology, we calibrated species’ growth based on the community data set for a specific location. Model calibration and model testing showed that Briemle's utilization numbers and the chosen representative species and groups are suitable to simulate grassland dynamics under different forms of land use. As we are using a general pattern of differential equations, we are confident that the model can be easily transferred to other grassland sites. Our model concept was created in close cooperation with stakeholders and has been already successfully used as a decision support system by the Eifel National Park administration.

Old growth forests in the Atlantic rainforest of Southern Brazil are increasingly replaced by secondary forests. Effects on arthropods are assumed to be particularly important as they provide the bulk of biodiversity and play an integral role for ecosystem processes and services. During forest regeneration vegetation structure, leaf litter composition and microclimatic conditions were found to strongly affect leaf litter beetle communities. This study aimed at highlighting the question whether there is evidence that restoration actions to support the regeneration of old-growth forest vegetation structure can enhance the re-establishment of old-growth forest leaf litter beetle communities in secondary forests in the Mata Atlântica. A conceptual model structure representing a causal effect chain was built and checked against observational data for vegetation and leaf litter beetles from different regeneration stages using structural and microclimatic variables. By the results in this study the hypothesis of an ecological causal effect chain was clearly supported. There was reasonable evidence that during the regeneration process varying vegetation composition results in varying structural characteristics inside the vegetation stand and the associated leaf litter. The changed structural parameters proved to alter the microclimatic conditions within the leaf-litter and subsequently the differences in microclimatic conditions showed a significant influence on the leaf litter beetle community within the forest regeneration sites. These results have important implications for arthropod species conservation as they show that the probability of conserving or re-establishing old growth leaf litter beetle communities can be increased by maintaining and restoring suitable vegetation, structure and microclimatic conditions.

Water of good quality is one of the basic needs of human life. Worldwide, great efforts are being undertaken for an assured water supply. In this respect, one of the largest water technology projects worldwide is the Yangtze Three Gorges Dam in China. There is a need for extensive scientific and technical understanding of the challenges arising from this large hydrological engineering project. German and Chinese groups from various scientific fields are collaborating to provide knowledge for the sustainable management of the reservoir. In this project description, the Yangtze Three Gorges Dam Project, its goals and challenges, are described in brief, and the contributions of the German research projects are presented.

Terrestrial Model Ecosystems (TME) were developed as one higher-tier option to detect and assess effects of pesticides on soil communities in a 1 year study using lindane (gamma-HCH) as a persistent and toxic reference pesticide. TME contained intact soil cores (diameter 300 mm, height 400 mm) including indigenous soil communities of undisturbed grassland. Forty units were placed outdoors between spring 2005 and 2006. The TME experiment was designed to provide data that fulfill the requirements of the revised European regulation on plant protection products (regulation 1107/2009/EEC replacing guideline 91/414/EC) with a focus on structural endpoints such as soil organisms and their community structure in case higher-tier evaluation is triggered. The key objective was to evaluate the dynamics and stability of species-diverse microarthropod communities of undisturbed grassland over at least 1 year after application. In grassland soils, less selection pressure towards insensitive species compared to arable land was presumed. Sufficient numbers of organisms and numerous TME replicates ensured that a statistical evaluation could be performed to estimate the sensitivity of the organisms upon application of lindane applied at high rates of 7.5 and 75 kg ai/ha. The application rates resulted in nominal concentrations of 10 and 100 mg ai/kg dry soil referred to the top 5 cm soil layer of 10 TME each; 20 untreated TME served as controls and were used to study the natural dynamics and the variability of populations under field conditions. Results showed that the grassland from which the soil cores were sampled contained communities of soil organisms marked by typical diversity of improved grassland. Lindane applied at excessive rates caused clear dose-related and long-lasting effects on the communities of microarthropods. On the contrary, lumbricids, the total feeding activity (bait lamina) and the growth of plant biomass were not affected up to 1 year after application. Based on the results of this study using a toxic reference insecticide, the methodology seems to be suitable for use in the regulatory context of the assessment of pesticides once protection goals, data requirements and the conceptual framework are defined.

The competence center InBioVeritas was founded in 2007 with the vision to integrate competences for ecological and socioeconomic research, sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation in the southern Mata Atlântica. Originating from a successful partnership in a recently terminated Brazilian-German research project (SOLOBIOMA), it is based on long experience and strong commitment of its members. It is concerned with a region of the Atlantic Forest where the largest forest remnants are found in protection areas of different status. However, cumulative effects of land use and climate change are likely to threat conservation and promote further loss of biodiversity in the future.

1. As mature tropical forests disappear, secondary forests with their potential to conserve mature tropical forest species are increasingly of interest in a conservation context. 2. We investigated the recovery of litter inhabiting beetle diversity and composition during natural forest regeneration in the coastal submontane forest of Southern Brazil, using chronosequences on two different soil types: cambisol and gleysol. Secondary forests, ranging in ages from 5 to 50 years, as well as old-growth forests were studied. Beetles were sifted from leaf litter and extracted using the Winkler technique. 3. Young secondary forests had a very low species density and a significantly different and heterogeneous species composition compared to old-growth forests. During forest regeneration, species density greatly increased and the species composition of older secondary forests was similar to that of old-growth forests. The recovery pattern of species density and composition differed between soil types; nonetheless, they showed the same tendencies generally. Thus, mature secondary forests of about 35–50 years can be assumed to contribute substantially to the maintenance of forest beetle species. 4. Litter quantity was not only significantly correlated with species density; but, even reflected the density pattern of both soil types. Thus, litter quantity is an important factor for maintaining or recovering high beetle densities. The composition of beetle assemblages was strongly affected by soil type. Thus, soil type should be considered in regional biodiversity monitoring and conservation actions.