As above, so below? Effects of fungicides on microbial organic matter decomposition are stronger in the hyporheic than in the benthic zone

Bollinger, Eric; Zubrod, Jochen P.; Konschak, Marco; Sulzer, Lenz; Schnurr, Jacob; Schreiner, Verena C.; Schulz, Ralf; Bundschuh, Mirco

doi:10.1002/lno.11973

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 121 publications

(127 reference statements)

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“…For instance, organic matter decomposition experiments are often conducted in aerobic habitats (i.e., water column or benthic surface) rather than in anaerobic habitats (i.e., hyporheic zone) where organic matter may also accumulate. For instance, Bollinger et al (2022) observed a 2‐fold higher fungicide effect in the hyporheic zone on microbial leaf litter decomposition compared with the benthic zone. Garcia‐Cruz et al (2010) agreed on the presence of chlorophenols (i.e., 2,4‐D) in environments where sulfate‐reducing bacteria are present and cause toxicity and inhibition on sulfate respiration.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twenty Years of Research in Ecosystem Functions in Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology

Morin,

Artigas

2023

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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One of the major threats to freshwater biodiversity is water pollution including excessive loads of nutrients, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and/or emerging contaminants. The widespread use of organic pesticides for agricultural and nonagricultural (industry, gardening, etc.) purposes has resulted in the presence of their residues in various environments, including surface waters. However, the contribution of pesticides to the deterioration of freshwater ecosystems (i.e., biodiversity decline and ecosystem functions impairment) remains uncertain. Once in the aquatic environment, pesticides and their metabolites can interact with microbial communities, causing undesirable effects. The existing legislation on ecological quality assessment of water bodies in Europe is based on water chemical quality and biological indicator species (Water Framework Directive, Pesticides Directive), while biological functions are not yet included in monitoring programs. In the present literature review, we analyze 20 years (2000–2020) of research on ecological functions provided by microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems. We describe the set of ecosystem functions investigated in these studies and the range of endpoints used to establish causal relationships between pesticide exposure and microbial responses. We focus on studies addressing the effects of pesticides at environmentally realistic concentrations and at the microbial community level to inform the ecological relevance of the ecotoxicological assessment. Our literature review highlights that most studies were performed using benthic freshwater organisms and that autotrophic and heterotrophic communities are most often studied separately, usually testing the pesticides that target the main microbial component (i.e., herbicides for autotrophs and fungicides for heterotrophs). Overall, most studies demonstrate deleterious impacts on the functions studied, but our review points to the following shortcomings: (1) the nonsystematic analysis of microbial functions supporting aquatic ecosystems functioning, (2) the study of ecosystem functions (i.e., nutrient cycling) via proxies (i.e., potential extracellular enzymatic activity measurements) which are sometimes disconnected from the current ecosystem functions, and (3) the lack of consideration of chronic exposures to assess the impact of, adaptations to, or recovery of aquatic microbial communities from pesticides. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:1–22. © 2023 SETAC

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twenty Years of Research in Ecosystem Functions in Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology

Morin,

Artigas

2023

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Multiple stressor effects act primarily on microbial leaf decomposers in stream mesocosms

Rasmussen,

Bundschuh,

Jensen

et al. 2025

Science of The Total Environment

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Effects of fungicides on aquatic fungi and bacteria: a comparison of morphological and molecular approaches from a microcosm experiment

Salis,

Schreiner,

Rozenberg

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Eur

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Background Fungicides are frequently used in agriculture and can enter freshwater ecosystems through multiple pathways. The negative impacts of fungicides on microorganisms, fungi in particular, and their functions such as leaf decomposition have been repeatedly shown. In our previous microcosm experiment with three consecutive cycles of fungicide exposure and colonisation of leaf substrate, we found clear functional changes, but no differences in fungal community structure could be detected using morphological identification by analysing the spores of aquatic hyphomycetes. In this study, we examined the effects on fungal and bacterial community composition in detail using ITS and 16S metabarcoding and comparing the results to morphologically assessed community composition. Results While we found fewer species with metabarcoding than with morphological identification, metabarcoding also enabled the identification of several fungal species that were otherwise unidentifiable morphologically. Moreover, by distinguishing individual amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) metabarcoding provided greater taxonomic resolution. In line with the morphological results, metabarcoding neither revealed effects of fungicides on the aquatic hyphomycetes nor on the total fungal or bacterial community composition. However, several ASVs responded significantly to fungicides, demonstrating variable tolerances within species. Conclusions Overall, the absence of detectable effects of fungicides on the community structure despite clear functional effects, suggests a complex relationship between community structure and the ecosystem function of leaf decomposition.

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As above, so below? Effects of fungicides on microbial organic matter decomposition are stronger in the hyporheic than in the benthic zone

Cited by 4 publications

References 121 publications

Twenty Years of Research in Ecosystem Functions in Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology

Twenty Years of Research in Ecosystem Functions in Aquatic Microbial Ecotoxicology

Multiple stressor effects act primarily on microbial leaf decomposers in stream mesocosms

Effects of fungicides on aquatic fungi and bacteria: a comparison of morphological and molecular approaches from a microcosm experiment

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