Soil ciliates' response to glyphosate exposure: A microcosm experiment.

The widespread use of glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide, in agriculture raises concerns about its impact on non-target organisms and ecosystem functions. Research on glyphosate's effect on soil microorganisms has been inconsistent due to varying methodologies and focuses. To address this, a controlled microcosm study was conducted to investigate glyphosate's impact on soil ciliates, an essential component of soil microbial communities.

Microplastic-stressor responses are rarely synergistic in freshwater fishes: A meta-analysis.

Microplastic exposure can cause a range of negative effects on the biochemistry, condition and ecology of freshwater fishes depending on aspects of the exposure and the exposed fish. However, fishes are typically exposed to microplastics and additional multiple stressors simultaneously, for which the combined effects are poorly understood and may have important management consequences. Additive effects are those where the combined effect is equal to the sum, antagonistic where combined effects are less than the sum and for synergistic effects the combined effect is greater to the sum of the individual effects.

Low microplastic loads in riverine European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from southwest England during their marine-freshwater transition.

The microplastic loads in elvers of the critically endangered European eel Anguilla anguilla, sampled in the lower reaches of three English rivers, were very low (incidence: 3.3%, mean ± s.d.

Parasite infection but not chronic microplastic exposure reduces the feeding rate in a freshwater fish.

Microplastics (plastics <5 mm) are an environmental contaminant that can negatively impact the behaviour and physiology of aquatic biota. Although parasite infection can also alter the behaviour and physiology of their hosts, few studies have investigated how microplastic and parasite exposure interact to affect hosts. Accordingly, an interaction experiment tested how exposure to environmentally relevant microplastic concentrations and the trophically transmitted parasite Pomphorhynchus tereticollis affected the parasite load, condition metrics and feeding rate of the freshwater fish final host chub Squalius cephalus.

Effects of Copper and the Insecticide Cypermethrin on a Soil Ciliate (Protozoa: Ciliophora) Community.

Ciliated protozoa play important ecological roles in soils, yet few studies have investigated the effect of soil pollution on them. We determined the effect of copper (Cu) and cypermethrin on a soil ciliate community under microcosm conditions. Soils were treated with Cu or cypermethrin and the abundance and species richness of ciliates determined 15 days later.

Morphology and Phylogeny of the Ciliate Psilotricha silvicola n. sp. (Alveolata, Ciliophora) from Woodland Soils in the United Kingdom.

The genus Psilotricha was established by Stein in 1859, with P. acuminata as the type species within the family Oxytrichidae. This species lacked a full description until it was re-discovered in 2001, showing that its morphological and morphogenetic characters confirmed the inclusion in the family Oxytrichidae.

Assessment of biotransfer and bioaccumulation of cadmium, lead and zinc from fly ash amended soil in mustard-aphid-beetle food chain.

The present study investigates the extent of biotransfer and bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from fly ash amended soil in mustard (Brassica juncea)-aphid (Lipaphis erysimi)-beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) food chain and its subsequent implications for the beetle. The soil was amended with fly ash at the rates of 0, 5, 10, 20 and 40% (w/w). Our results showed that the uptake of Cd, Pb and Zn from soil to mustard root increased with the increase in fly ash application rates, but their root to shoot translocation was relatively restricted.

Effect of cadmium accumulation on mineral nutrient levels in vegetable crops: potential implications for human health.

Consumption of vegetables is often the predominant route whereby humans are exposed to the toxic metal Cd. Health impacts arising from Cd consumption may be influenced by changes in the mineral nutrient content of vegetables, which may occur when plants are exposed to Cd. Here, we subjected model root (carrot) and leaf (lettuce) vegetables to soil Cd concentrations of 0.

The transfer and fate of Pb from sewage sludge amended soil in a multi-trophic food chain: a comparison with the labile elements Cd and Zn.

The contamination of agroecosystems due to the presence of trace elements in commonly used agricultural materials is a serious issue. The most contaminated material is usually sewage sludge, and the sustainable use of this material within agriculture is a major concern. This study addresses a key issue in this respect, the fate of trace metals applied to soil in food chains.

Assimilation of Cd and Cu by the carnivorous plant Sarracenia leucophylla raf. fed contaminated prey.

Many species of carnivorous plants have become endangered through exposure to multiple risks such as habitat loss, illegal poaching, and pollution. A potential threat to these plants posed by pollution stems from the contamination of their invertebrate prey with trace metals. This study examined the potential for prey to act as sources of the trace metals Cd and Cu for the pitcher plant Sarracenia leucophylla.

Differential uptake, partitioning and transfer of Cd and Zn in the soil-pea plant-aphid system.

The biomagnification of trace metals during transfer from contaminated soil to higher trophic levels may potentially result in the exposure of predatory arthropods to toxic concentrations of these elements. This study examined the transfer of Cd and Zn in a soil-plant-arthropod system grown in series of field plots that had received two annual applications of municipal biosolids with elevated levels of Cd and Zn. Results showed that biosolids amendmentsignificantly increased the concentration of Cd in the soil and the shoots of pea plants and the concentration of Zn in the soil, pea roots, shoots, and pods.

Contrasting behaviour of cadmium and zinc in a soil-plant-arthropod system.

This study investigates the transfer of Cd and Zn from a soil amended with sewage sludge at rates up to 100 t ha(-1) through a multi-trophic system consisting of barley, the aphid Sitobion avenae and the larvae of the lacewing Chrysoperla carnae. Results show marked differences in the transfer of the two metals. Cadmium was freely accumulated in barley roots, but accumulation in the shoot was restricted to a concentration of around 0.