Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1073/pnas.1305618110
Title (Primary) Pesticides reduce regional biodiversity of stream invertebrates
Author Beketov, M.A.; Kefford, B.J.; Schäfer, R.B.; Liess, M.
Source Titel Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year 2013
Department OEKOTOX
Volume 110
Issue 27
Page From 11039
Page To 11043
Language englisch
Supplements https://www.pnas.org/highwire/filestream/612982/field_highwire_adjunct_files/0/pnas.201305618SI.pdf
Keywords environmental impacts;environmental risk assessment;plant protection products;macroinvertebrates;spatial scale
UFZ wide themes TERENO; RU3;
Abstract

The biodiversity crisis is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, but our understanding of the drivers remains limited. Thus, after decades of studies and regulation efforts, it remains unknown whether to what degree and at what concentrations modern agricultural pesticides cause regional-scale species losses. We analyzed the effects of pesticides on the regional taxa richness of stream invertebrates in Europe (Germany and France) and Australia (southern Victoria). Pesticides caused statistically significant effects on both the species and family richness in both regions, with losses in taxa up to 42% of the recorded taxonomic pools. Furthermore, the effects in Europe were detected at concentrations that current legislation considers environmentally protective. Thus, the current ecological risk assessment of pesticides falls short of protecting biodiversity, and new approaches linking ecology and ecotoxicology are needed.

Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=13860
Beketov, M.A., Kefford, B.J., Schäfer, R.B., Liess, M. (2013):
Pesticides reduce regional biodiversity of stream invertebrates
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 110 (27), 11039 - 11043 10.1073/pnas.1305618110