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Article
Open AccessThe influence of season, hunting mode, and habitat specialization on riparian spiders as key predators in the aquatic-terrestrial linkage
Freshwater ecosystems subsidize riparian zones with high-quality nutrients via the emergence of aquatic insects. Spiders are dominant consumers of these insect subsidies. However, little is known about the var...
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Article
Open AccessPesticide Mixtures in Surface Waters of Two Protected Areas in Southwestern Germany
Pesticides enter non-target surface waters as a result of agricultural activities and may reach water bodies in protected areas. We measured in southwestern Germany pesticide concentrations after heavy rainfal...
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Article
Open AccessLarge monitoring datasets reveal high probabilities for intermittent occurrences of pesticides in European running waters
Many studies have investigated short-term peak concentrations of pesticides in surface waters resulting from agricultural uses. However, we lack information to what extent pesticides reoccur over medium (> 4 d...
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Article
Assessing Effects of Genetically Modified Plant Material on the Aquatic Environment Using higher-tier Studies
Genetically modified organisms are used extensively in agriculture. To assess potential side effects of genetically modified (GM) plant material on aquatic ecosystems, only a very small number of higher-tier s...
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Protocol
In Situ Exposure of Aquatic Invertebrates to Detect the Effects of Point and Nonpoint Source-Related Chemical Pollution in Aquatic Ecosystems
As an intermediate step between laboratory and (semi-)field experiments, in situ bioassays are a valuable active biomonitoring tool for the assessment of effects. By measuring lethal or sublethal responses of ...
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Article
Open AccessPhotoactive titanium dioxide nanoparticles modify heterotrophic microbial functioning
Nanoparticulate titanium dioxide (nTiO2) is frequently applied, raising concerns about potential side effects on the environment. While various studies have assessed structural effects in aquatic model ecosystems...
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Article
Open AccessA new approach combining forensic thresholds and a multiple-tubes approach to unravel false microsatellite profiles from cross-contaminated sample material
Contamination and degradation are known challenges for reliable genoty**, since they can cause, among other problems, false microsatellite profiles. In this study we described a method to decrease the propor...
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Article
Open AccessEffects of copper in Daphnia are modulated by nanosized titanium dioxide and natural organic matter: what is the impact of aging duration?
During its aquatic life cycle, nanosized titanium dioxide (nTiO2) may interact with natural organic matter (NOM) ultimately altering the ecotoxicity of co-occurring chemical stressors such as heavy metals (e.g. c...
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Chapter
How Toxicants Influence Organic Matter Decomposition in Streams
The ecosystem process of organic matter decomposition (OMD) in fresh waters is realised by a complex interaction among different groups of microorganisms (including bacteria and fungi) and detritivorous animal...
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Article
The Fungicide Tebuconazole Confounds Concentrations of Molecular Biomarkers Estimating Fungal Biomass
Due to their ecological importance, fungi are suitable indicator organisms for anthropogenic stress. To estimate fungal biomass, the fungal membrane molecule ergosterol is often quantified as a proxy. Estimate...
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Article
Open AccessMultiple Stressors in Aquatic Ecosystems: Sublethal Effects of Temperature, Dissolved Organic Matter, Light and a Neonicotinoid Insecticide on Gammarids
Whether and to which extent the effects of chemicals in the environment interact with other factors remains a scientific challenge. Here we assess the combined effects of temperature (16 vs. 20°C), light condi...
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Article
Open AccessEffect of Bt toxin Cry1Ab on two freshwater caddisfly shredders – an attempt to establish dose-effect relationships through food-spiking
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), which produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins, are widely used in agriculture in some parts of the world. Despite this, ecotoxicological methods, tailored to GMOs, are la...
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Article
Multifaceted implications of the competition between native and invasive crayfish: a glimmer of hope for the native’s long-term survival
Biological invasions represent a complex phenomenon driven by multiple factors. In this study, a real-time invasion process between a native (Pontastacus leptodactylus) and an invasive (Faxonius limosus) crayfish...
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Chapter
Studying Effects of Contaminants on Aquatic-Terrestrial Subsidies: Experimental Designs Using Outdoor and Indoor Mesocosms and Microcosms
Research on the subsidy of terrestrial ecosystems by resources of aquatic origin has increased over the last few decades. Only a few studies, however, assess this cross-boundary linkage with specific considera...
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Chapter
Pathways of Contaminant Transport Across the Aquatic-Terrestrial Interface: Implications for Terrestrial Consumers, Ecosystems, and Management
The role of freshwater ecosystems as a source of nutrients, energy, and contaminants to terrestrial ecosystems is relatively underappreciated compared with the impact of catchment properties on inputs to recei...
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Article
Open AccessFood-related exposure to systemic pesticides and pesticides from transgenic plants: evaluation of aquatic test strategies
The aquatic Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) for pesticides relies on standardized experimental protocols focusing on exposure via the water phase or the sediment. Systemic pesticides (e.g., neonicotinoids)...
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Article
Open AccessNanoparticles transported from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems via emerging aquatic insects compromise subsidy quality
Nanoparticle contaminants enter aquatic ecosystems and are transported along the stream network. Here, we demonstrate a novel pathway for the return of nanoparticles from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems via ...
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Article
Effects of a Systemic Pesticide Along an Aquatic Tri-Trophic Food Chain
Systemic pesticides, such as the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, can be introduced into aquatic ecosystems through contaminated plant material, which is the basis for detrital (brown) aquatic food-webs. With the a...
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Article
Two is better than one: combining gut content and stable isotope analyses to infer trophic interactions between native and invasive species
Two complementary approaches are commonly used for analysing trophic interactions that allow inferences about consumed and assimilated resources: gut content (GCA) and stable isotope (SIA) analyses. We used th...
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Article
Is Hyalella azteca a Suitable Model Leaf-Shredding Benthic Crustacean for Testing the Toxicity of Sediment-Associated Metals in Europe?
The leaf-shredding crustacean Hyalella azteca, which is indigenous to Northern and Central America, is used to assess environmental risks associated with (metal-)contaminated sediments and to propose sediment qua...
