15
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 15, 2026) As water bodies continue to be contaminated by pesticides and fertilizers used in chemical-intensive agriculture, international researchers find increasing threats to both aquatic and terrestrial food webs with insect transmission of pesticide residues from water to land. Published in Environmental Pollution, the study authors analyze insect species with complex life cycles “with an aquatic phase as larvae and a terrestrial phase as winged adults when they serve as prey for many aerial insectivores, such as bats and birds.†As the researchers explain, these insects act as vectors, transferring pesticides from water bodies into terrestrial food webs. As a result of studying feces from birds and bats that prey on these insects, the authors find residues of 16 current-use pesticides, two legacy compounds, and six metabolites (breakdown products). The study results illustrate that pesticide contamination occurs through the ingestion of contaminated prey from aquatic systems, as all of the substances recovered in the fecal samples are detected in the water bodies within the study region. The transfer of pesticides from emerging insects to other species in the food web further threatens biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In summary, the authors state, “Our study is among the first […]
Posted in Agriculture, Aquatic Organisms, Bats, Beneficials, Biodiversity, Biomonitoring, Birds, contamination, diflufenican, Ecosystem Services, epoxiconazole, flufenacet, Fungicides, Germany, Herbicides, Metabolites, Pesticide Residues, simazine, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 1 Comment »
13
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 13, 2026) In a novel, continent-wide study of soil biodiversity throughout Europe published in Nature, researchers find 70% of the sampled sites contain pesticide residues, which “emerged as the second strongest driver of soil biodiversity patterns after soil properties,†particularly in croplands. As soil biodiversity is key for ecosystem functioning, agricultural and land management practices that safeguard biodiversity are imperative. This study, however, highlights how pesticides alter microbial functions, including phosphorus and nitrogen cycling, and suppress beneficial taxa, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and bacterivore nematodes, and adds to a wide body of science that links pesticide residues in soil to adverse effects on biodiversity. In analyzing 373 sites across woodlands, grasslands, and croplands in 26 European countries, and examining the effects of 63 pesticides on soil archaea, bacteria, fungi, protists, nematodes, arthropods, and key functional gene groups, the data reveals “organism- and function-specific patterns, emphasizing complex and widespread non-target effects on soil biodiversity.†As the authors state, “[T]o our knowledge, ours is the first study to demonstrate the relative importance of pesticides in comparison to soil properties, ecosystem type and climate at a continental scale.†Study Importance As Kristin Ohlson describes in her book The Soil […]
Posted in Agriculture, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), Beneficials, Biodiversity, boscalid, Carbendazim, diflufenican, Ecosystem Services, European Union, fluopyram, Glyphosate, Pendimethalin, Pesticide Residues, soil health, Soil microbiome | No Comments »
