| 1. |
- Alewell, C, et al.
(författare)
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Stable carbon isotopes as indicators for environmental change inpalsa peats
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - Kaltenburg-Lindau : European Geosciences Union. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 8, s. 1769-1778
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Palsa peats are unique northern ecosystems formed under an arctic climate and characterized by a high biodiversity and sensitive ecology. The stability of the palsas are seriously threatened by climate warming which will change the permafrost dynamic and induce a degradation of the mires.We used stable carbon isotope depth profiles in two palsa mires of Northern Sweden to track environmental change during the formation of the mires. Soils dominated by aerobic degradation can be expected to have a clear increase of carbon isotopes (δ13C) with depth, due to preferential release of 12C during aerobic mineralization. In soils with suppressed degradation due to anoxic conditions, stable carbon isotope depth profiles are either more or less uniform indicating no or very low degradation or depth profiles turn to lighter values due to an enrichment of recalcitrant organic substances during anaerobic mineralisation which are depleted in 13C.The isotope depth profile of the peat in the water saturated depressions (hollows) at the yet undisturbed mire Storflaket indicated very low to no degradation but increased rates of anaerobic degradation at the Stordalen site. The latter might be induced by degradation of the permafrost cores in the uplifted areas (hummocks) and subsequent breaking and submerging of the hummock peat into the hollows due to climate warming. Carbon isotope depth profiles of hummocks indicated a turn from aerobic mineralisation to anaerobic degradation at a peat depth between 4 and 25 cm. The age of these turning points was 14C dated between 150 and 670 yr and could thus not be caused by anthropogenically induced climate change. We found the uplifting of the hummocks due to permafrost heave the most likely explanation for our findings. We thus concluded that differences in carbon isotope profiles of the hollows might point to the disturbance of the mires due to climate warming or due to differences in hydrology. The characteristic profiles of the hummocks are indicators for micro-geomorphic change during permafrost up heaving.
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| 2. |
- Alewell, C, et al.
(författare)
-
Stable carbon isotopes as indicators for micro-geomorphic changes in palsa peats
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biogeosciences Discussions. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1810-6277 .- 1810-6285. ; 8:1, s. 527-548
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Palsa peats are unique northern ecosystems formed under an arctic climate and characterizedby an unique biodiversity and ecology. The stability of the palsas are seriouslythreatened by climate warming which will change the permafrost dynamic and5 results in degradation of the mires. We used stable carbon isotope depth profiles intwo palsa mires of Northern Sweden to track environmental change during the formationof the mires. Carbon isotope (13C) depth profile of the yet undisturbed mireStorflaket indicated very low to no degradation of the peat in the water saturated depressions(hollows) but increased rates of anaerobic degradation at the Stordalen site.10 The latter might be induced by degradation of the permafrost cores in the uplifted areas(hummocks) and subsequent braking and submerging of the hummock peat intothe hollows due to climate warming. Carbon isotope depth profiles of hummocks indicateda turn from aerobic mineralisation to anaerobic degradation at a peat depthbetween 4 to 25 cm. The age of these turning point was 14C dated between 150 and15 670 years and could thus not be caused by anthropogenically induced climate change.We found the uplifting of the hummocks due to permafrost heave the most likely explanationfor our findings. We thus concluded that differences in carbon isotope profiles ofthe hollows might point to the disturbance of the mires due to climate warming or dueto differences in hydrology. The characteristic profiles of the hummocks are indicators20 for micro-geomorphic change during permafrost up heaving.
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| 3. |
- Becher, Marina, et al.
(författare)
-
Buried soil organic inclusions in non-sorted circles fields in northern Sweden : Age and Paleoclimatic context
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202 .- 2169-8953. ; 118:1, s. 104-111
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although burial of surface organic soil horizons into deeper mineral soil layers helps drive the long-term buildup of carbon in arctic soils, when and why buried horizons formed as result of cryoturbation in northern Sweden remain unclear. In this study, we used C-14 and Pb-210 dating to assess when organic matter was buried within non-sorted circles fields near Abisko in northern Sweden. In addition, we used aerial photos from 1959 and 2008 to detect eventual trends in cryogenic activities during this period. We found that organic matter from former organic horizons (stratigraphically intact or partly fragmented) corresponds to three major periods: 0-100 A. D., 900-1250 A. D., and 1650-1950 A. D. The latter two periods were indicated by several dated samples, while the extent of the oldest period is more uncertainty (indicated by only one sample). The aerial photos suggest a net overgrowth by shrub vegetation of previously exposed mineral soil surfaces since 1959. This overgrowth trend was seen in most of the studied fields (92 out of 137 analyzed fields), indicating that the cryogenic activity has mainly decreased in studied non-sorted circles fields since the 1950s. This latter interpretation is also supported by the absence of buried organic layers formed during the last decades. We suggest that the organic matter was buried during the transition from longer cold periods to warmer conditions. We believe these climatic shifts could have triggered regional scale burial of soil organic matter and thus affected how these soils sequestered carbon.
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| 4. |
- Becher, Marina, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Cryogenic disturbance and its impact on carbon fluxes in a subarctic heathland
- 2015
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 10:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Differential frost heave, along with the associated cryogenic disturbance that accompanies it, is an almost universal feature of arctic landscapes that potentially influences the fate of the soil carbon (C) stored in arctic soils. In this study, we quantify how gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP), soil respiration (Re) and the resulting net ecosystem exchange (NEE) vary in a patterned ground system (non-sorted circles) at plot-scale and whole-patterned ground scales in response to cryogenic disturbances (differential heave and soil surface disruption). We found that: (i) all studied non-sorted circles (n=15) acted as net CO2 sources (positive NEE); (ii) GEP showed a weaker decrease than Re in response to increased cryogenic disturbance/decreased humus cover, indicating that undisturbed humus-covered sites are currently the main source of atmospheric CO2 in the studied system. Interestingly, Re fluxes normalized to C pools indicated that C is currently respired more rapidly at sites exposed to cryogenic disturbances; hence, higher NEE fluxes at less disturbed sites are likely an effect of a more slowly degrading but larger total pool that was built up in the past. Our results highlight the complex effects of cryogenic processes on the C cycle at various time scales.
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| 5. |
- Becher, Marina, 1983-
(författare)
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Cryogenic soil processes in a changing climate
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A considerable part of the global pool of terrestrial carbon is stored in high latitude soils. In these soils, repeated cycles of freezing and thawing creates soil motion (cryoturbation) that in combination with other cryogenic disturbance processes may play a profound role in controlling the carbon balance of the arctic soil. Conditions for cryogenic soil processes are predicted to dramatically change in response to the ongoing climate warming, but little is known how these changes may affect the ability of arctic soils to accumulate carbon. In this thesis, I utilize a patterned ground system, referred to as non-sorted circles, as experimental units and quantify how cryogenic soil processes affect plant communities and carbon fluxes in arctic soils. I show that the cryoturbation has been an important mechanism for transporting carbon downwards in the studied soil over the last millennia. Interestingly, burial of organic material by cryoturbation appears to have mainly occurred during bioclimatic events occurring around A.D. 900-1250 and A.D. 1650-1950 as indicated by inferred 14C ages. Using a novel photogrammetric approach, I estimate that about 0.2-0.8 % of the carbon pool is annually subjected to a net downward transport induced by the physical motion of soil. Even though this flux seems small, it suggests that cryoturbation is an important transporter of carbon over centennial and millennial timescales and contributes to translocate organic matter to deeper soil layers where respiration proceeds at slow rates. Cryogenic processes not only affect the trajectories of the soil carbon, but also generate plant community changes in both species composition and abundance, as indicated by a conducted plant survey on non-sorted circles subjected to variable differential frost heave during the winter. Here, disturbance-tolerant plant species, such as Carex capillaris and Tofieldia pusilla, seem to be favoured by disturbance generated by the differential heave. Comparison with findings from a previous plant survey on the site conducted in the 1980s suggest that the warmer temperatures during the last decades have resulted in decreased differential heave in the studied non-sorted circles. I argue that this change in cryogenic activity has increased abundance of plants present in the 1980s. The fact that the activity and function of the non-sorted circles in Abisko are undergoing changes is further supported by their contemporary carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes. Here, my measurements of CO2 fluxes suggest that all studied non-sorted circles act as net CO2 sources and thus that the carbon balance of the soils are in a transition state. My results highlight the complex but important relationship between cryogenic soil processes and the carbon balance of arctic soils.
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| 6. |
- Becher, Marina, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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Decreased cryogenic disturbance : one of the potential mechanisms behind the vegetation change in the Arctic
- 2018
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Ingår i: Polar Biology. - : Springer. - 0722-4060 .- 1432-2056. ; 41:1, s. 101-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- During the last few decades, the Arctic has experienced large-scale vegetation changes. Understanding the mechanisms behind this vegetation change is crucial for our ability to predict future changes. This study tested the hypothesis that decreased cryogenic disturbances cause vegetation change in patterned ground study fields (non-sorted circles) in Abisko, Sweden during the last few decades. The hypothesis was tested by surveying the composition of plant communities across a gradient in cryogenic disturbance and by reinvestigating plant communities previously surveyed in the 1980s to scrutinise how these communities changed in response to reduced cryogenic disturbance. Whereas the historical changes in species occurrence associated with decreased cryogenic disturbances were relatively consistent with the changes along the contemporary gradient of cryogenic disturbances, the species abundance revealed important transient changes highly dependent on the initial plant community composition. Our results suggest that altered cryogenic disturbances cause temporal changes in vegetation dynamics, but the net effects on vegetation communities depend on the composition of initial plant species.
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| 7. |
- Becher, Marina, et al.
(författare)
-
Measuring soil motion with terrestrial close range photogrammetry in periglacial environments
- 2014
-
Ingår i: EUCOP 4. - : University of Lisbon and the University of Évora. ; , s. 351-351
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cryoturbation plays an important role in the carbon cycle as it redistributes carbon deeper down in the soil where the cold temperature prevents microbial decomposition. This contribution is also included in recent models describing the long-term build up of carbon stocks in artic soils. Soil motion rate in cryoturbated soils is sparsely studied. This is because the internal factors maintaining cryoturbation will be affected by any excavation, making it impossible to remove soil samples or install pegs without changing the structure of the soil. So far, mainly the motion of soil surface markers on patterned ground has been used to infer lateral soil motion rates. However, such methods constrain the investigated area to a predetermined distribution of surface markers that may result in a loss of information regarding soil motion in other parts of the patterned ground surface.We present a novel method based on terrestrial close range (<5m) photogrammetry to calculate lateral and vertical soil motion across entire small-scale periglacial features, such as non-sorted circles (frost boils). Images were acquired by a 5-camera calibrated rig from at least 8 directions around a non-sorted circle. During acquisition, the rig was carried by one person in a backpack-like portable camera support system. Natural feature points were detected by SIFT and matched between images using the known epipolar geometry of the calibrated rig. The 3D coordinates of points matched between at least 3 images were calculated to create a point cloud of the surface of interest. The procedure was repeated during two consecutive years to be able to measure any net displacement of soil and calculate rates of soil motion. The technique was also applied to a peat palsa where multiple exposures where acquired of selected areas.The method has the potential to quantify areas of disturbance and estimate lateral and vertical soil motion in non-sorted circles. Furthermore, it should be possible to quantify peat erosion and rates of desiccation crack formations in peat palsas. This tool could provide new information about cryoturbation rates that could improve existing soil carbon models and increase our understanding about how soil carbon stocks will respond to climate change.
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| 8. |
- Bergknut, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Vertical and lateral redistribution of POPs in soils developed along a hydrological gradient
- 2011
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 45:24, s. 10378-10384
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Study of the dispersion of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) throughout the environment is necessitated by their toxicological properties and propensity to accumulate in biota. In this study, we use data from the analysis of three (210)Pb dated soil profiles collected along a 30-m hydrological gradient to demonstrate postdepositional mobility of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). We found that (i) humus originating from litter exposed to surface fallout during the 1960-1970s contains the highest concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in the O-horizon of the soils; (ii) accumulation rates of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in the O-horizon (similar to 5.0 and similar to 210 mu g m(-2) yr(-1)) constituted only 9.1% and 3.5%, respectively, of the measured annual input, demonstrating that a minor fraction of the deposited material is retained within the O-horizon; (iii) POP inventories in the upper 0.5-0.9 m of the mineral soil constituted a considerable part (40-70%) of the total pool stored in the soil, implying significant vertical translocation of atmospheric derived POPs; and (iv) increasing downslope inventories of POPs suggest a lateral downward transport of POPs from uphill soils. The findings challenge the commonly accepted view that POPs fallout is effectively retained within O-horizons.
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| 9. |
- Berglund, Åsa, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of reduced lead deposition on Pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) : tracing exposure routes using stable lead Isotopes
- 2009
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society. - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 43:1, s. 208-213
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To what extent the lead burden of birds living in strongly contaminated ecosystems is responding to decreased atmospheric lead deposition is not well known. In this study, we measured lead concentrations and stable lead isotope ratios (206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb) in liver and feces from pied flycatcher nestlings (Ficedula hypoleuca) along a 90 km pollution gradient from the Rönnskär smelter in northern Sweden. Changes in lead concentration in the birds from 1984 to 2006 were used for assessing the recovery of the environment following reduced lead emissions at the smelter. The 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb ratios were used to identify lead sources to the birds. Lead concentrations in liver and feces have decreased since the 1980s, typically by 9−15% (liver) and 18−40% (feces) as a result of a 98% emission reduction. This relatively weak recovery is explained by a transfer of old lead contaminants accumulated in soil to the birds via their prey, which was evident by a 206Pb/207Pb ratio in liver tissue (1.15 ± 0.01) that overlapped with the ratio in ants (1.16 ± 0.01) and organic soil horizon (1.17 ± 0.01) rather than the current atmospheric lead pollution (1.11 ± 0.01). Our findings suggest that insectivorous birds living around smelters may remain contaminated decades after ceased emissions.
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| 10. |
- Bindler, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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Beyond the peat : synthesizing peat, lake sediments and soils in studies of the Swedish environment
- 2006
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Ingår i: Peatlands. - : Elsevier. - 9780080468051 - 9780444528834 ; , s. 431-448
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This chapter illustrates on comparing peat and lake sediment records and linking the quantitative record of metals in peat to contemporary environmental problems. Quantifying metal records in peat has been an important step, but new research needs to move beyond this and consider how to apply these data. Lead analyses, including stable isotopes, are now fairly routine and based on these analyses the historical trends of lead deposition are now well established in peat, lake sediments and even glacial ice. The biogeochemical cycling of lead has also been well researched, which allows making this link between the historical lead record and soil biogeochemistry. Because peat and lake sediments seem to record the same changes in mercury deposition, there is similar promise in linking the long-term peat record of mercury and other metals with biogeochemical cycling of mercury and other important metals in forests and soils.
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| 11. |
- Bindler, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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Bridging the gap between ancient metal pollution and contemporary biogeochemistry
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Paleolimnology. - : Springer. - 0921-2728 .- 1573-0417. ; 40:3, s. 755-770
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Paleolimnology provides long-term data that are often essential for understanding the current state of the environment. Even though there is great potential, paleolimnology is rarely used together with process-related studies to solve issues regarding cycling of elements in the environment. Clearly, this is a drawback because the cycling of many elements, which cause great concern in the present-day environment, was altered long before the advent of monitoring programs. The pioneering work of C.C. Patterson and his colleagues emphasized the importance of a long-term perspective for understanding the current cycling of metals, with a focus on lead, and in particular for estimating background concentrations and human-related impacts in the environment. In Sweden the first traces of atmospheric lead pollution are found in lake sediments dated to about 3500 years ago. The long-term changes in the pollution lead record in lake sediments led us to consider how lead biogeochemistry has changed over time in response to this historical deposition‹where has this lead gone, and how much does this lead contribute to the present-day biogeochemical cycling of lead? How was lead distributed in Œpre-industrial¹ soils or more properly in natural soils not impacted by atmospheric pollution? There are many studies that have examined the effects of increased metal concentrations on soil biota, but what are the appropriate background conditions for comparison? Using lake sediments as our foundation we have analyzed lead, including its stable isotopes, in other environmental compartments, including peat, soil, and a range of boreal forest plant species, to develop a better understanding of the fate of lead derived from long-term pollution. Three important conclusions from our studies in Sweden are: (1) atmospheric lead deposition rates during the 20th century were 100 to as much as 1000 times higher than natural deposition rates a few thousand years ago. Even with stricter emission standards during the past three decades and the resultant reductions in deposition, lead deposition rates today are still 10100 times greater than natural rates. This increase in deposition rates modeled from sediment and peat records is of a similar scale to estimated changes in body burdens of lead in modern versus ancient humans. (2) In Europe about half of the cumulative burden of atmospherically deposited lead was deposited before industrialization. In southern Sweden the cumulative burden of pollution lead during the past 3500 years is 25 g Pb m-2 and in the Œpristine¹ northern parts of the country there is about 1 g Pb m-2. (3) Predicted recovery rates for soils are slow; in the cold climate of Scandinavia, we find that the soil surface (O horizon), where most soil biota reside, retains lead deposited over the past 150500 years. Therefore, although lead deposition rates in Europe, as well as N. America, are only 10% of those a few decades ago, it will take several decades or longer for lead concentrations in soils to respond appreciably. The slow turnover rates for lead in the environment and gradual immobilization of lead in deeper soil mineral horizons also inhibits a loss of lead to surface waters in areas removed from point sources.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Blume-Werry, Gesche, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Ideas and perspectives : Alleviation of functional limitations by soil organisms is key to climate feedbacks from arctic soils
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus Publications. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 20:10, s. 1979-1990
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Arctic soils play an important role in Earth's climate system, as they store large amounts of carbon that, if released, could strongly increase greenhouse gas levels in our atmosphere. Most research to date has focused on how the turnover of organic matter in these soils is regulated by abiotic factors, and few studies have considered the potential role of biotic regulation. However, arctic soils are currently missing important groups of soil organisms, and here, we highlight recent empirical evidence that soil organisms' presence or absence is key to understanding and predicting future climate feedbacks from arctic soils. We propose that the arrival of soil organisms into arctic soils may introduce novel functions, resulting in increased rates of, for example, nitrification, methanogenesis, litter fragmentation, or bioturbation, and thereby alleviate functional limitations of the current community. This alleviation can greatly enhance decomposition rates, in parity with effects predicted due to increasing temperatures. We base this argument on a series of emerging experimental evidence suggesting that the dispersal of until-then absent micro-, meso-, and macroorganisms (i.e. from bacteria to earthworms) into new regions and newly thawed soil layers can drastically affect soil functioning. These new observations make us question the current view that neglects organism-driven alleviation effects when predicting future feedbacks between arctic ecosystems and our planet's climate. We therefore advocate for an updated framework in which soil biota and the functions by which they influence ecosystem processes become essential when predicting the fate of soil functions in warming arctic ecosystems.
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| 16. |
- Blume-Werry, Gesche, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Invasive earthworms unlock arctic plant nitrogen limitation
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Arctic plant growth is predominantly nitrogen (N) limited. This limitation is generally attributed to slow soil microbial processes due to low temperatures. Here, we show that arctic plant-soil N cycling is also substantially constrained by the lack of larger detritivores (earthworms) able to mineralize and physically translocate litter and soil organic matter. These new functions provided by earthworms increased shrub and grass N concentration in our common garden experiment. Earthworm activity also increased either the height or number of floral shoots, while enhancing fine root production and vegetation greenness in heath and meadow communities to a level that exceeded the inherent differences between these two common arctic plant communities. Moreover, these worming effects on plant N and greening exceeded reported effects of warming, herbivory and nutrient addition, suggesting that human spreading of earthworms may lead to substantial changes in the structure and function of arctic ecosystems. Arctic plant growth is predominantly nitrogen limited, where the slow nitrogen turnover in the soil is commonly attributed to the cold arctic climate. Here the authors show that the arctic plant-soil nitrogen cycling is also constrained by the lack of larger detritivores like earthworms.
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| 17. |
- Bottone, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Sodium hypochlorite as an oxidizing agent for removal of soil organic matter before microplastics analyses
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Quality. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0047-2425 .- 1537-2537. ; 51:1, s. 112-122
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The omnipresence of microplastics (MPs) across Earth's surface has raised concerns about their environmental impact and created an urgent need for methods to identify them in complex soil and sedimentary matrices. However, detecting MPs in the O horizons of soils is difficult because plastic polymers share many physical and chemical properties with natural soil organic matter (SOM). In this study, we assessed whether sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), a reagent that can oxidize SOM and simultaneously preserve mineral constituents, can be used for MP analysis and characterization in soil environments. In addition, we scrutinized how factors such as MP size, polymer type, extraction methods, and soil matrix affect the recovery of microplastic particles. We used both hydrophobic and density-dependent separation methods to assess the effects of our oxidation treatment on the recovery of MP. We observed that NaOCl effectively removed SOM without greatly altering the surface properties of resistant MP polymers (polypropylene, polylactic acid, low-density polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate), which were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy after SOM removal. The NaOCl treatment caused some chlorination and formation of additional C–OH bonds on polymer surfaces, which likely contributed to the reduced efficiency of the hydrophobic-based (oil) extraction. We conclude that NaOCl treatment can improve detection of MPs in SOM-rich soil and that recovery of MPs from soils is influenced by MP size, polymer type, extraction method, and soil type, which makes it challenging to develop a universal analytical method.
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| 18. |
- Brodin, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Dilute concentrations of a psychiatric drug alter behavior of fish from natural populations
- 2013
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Ingår i: Science. - : The American Association for the Advancement of Science. - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 339:6121, s. 814-815
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental pollution by pharmaceuticals is increasingly recognized as a major threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. A variety of pharmaceuticals enter waterways by way of treated wastewater effluents and remain biochemically active in aquatic systems. Several ecotoxicological studies have been done, but generally, little is known about the ecological effects of pharmaceuticals. Here we show that a benzodiazepine anxiolytic drug (oxazepam) alters behavior and feeding rate of wild European perch (Perca fluviatilis) at concentrations encountered in effluent-influenced surface waters. Individuals exposed to water with dilute drug concentrations (1.8 micrograms liter–1) exhibited increased activity, reduced sociality, and higher feeding rate. As such, our results show that anxiolytic drugs in surface waters alter animal behaviors that are known to have ecological and evolutionary consequences.
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| 19. |
- Brodin, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Ecological effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems-impacts through behavioural alterations
- 2014
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Ingår i: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8436 .- 1471-2970. ; 369:1656, s. 20130580-
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study of animal behaviour is important for both ecology and ecotoxicology, yet research in these two fields is currently developing independently. Here, we synthesize the available knowledge on drug-induced behavioural alterations in fish, discuss potential ecological consequences and report results from an experiment in which we quantify both uptake and behavioural impact of a psychiatric drug on a predatory fish (Perca fluviatilis) and its invertebrate prey (Coenagrion hastulatum). We show that perch became more active while damselfly behaviour was unaffected, illustrating that behavioural effects of pharmaceuticals can differ between species. Furthermore, we demonstrate that prey consumption can be an important exposure route as on average 46% of the pharmaceutical in ingested prey accumulated in the predator. This suggests that investigations of exposure through bioconcentration, where trophic interactions and subsequent bioaccumulation of exposed individuals are ignored, underestimate exposure. Wildlife may therefore be exposed to higher levels of behaviourally altering pharmaceuticals than predictions based on commonly used exposure assays and pharmaceutical concentrations found in environmental monitoring programmes.
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| 20. |
- Brodin, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental relevant levels of a benzodiazepine (oxazepam) alters important behavioral traits in a common planktivorous fish, (Rutilus rutilus)
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC. - 1528-7394 .- 1087-2620. ; 80:16–18, s. 963-970
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental pollution by pharmaceuticals is increasingly recognized as a major threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. A complex mix of pharmaceuticals enters waterways via treated wastewater effluent and many remain biochemically active after the drugs reach aquatic systems. However, to date little is known regarding the ecological effects that might arise following pharmaceutical contamination of aquatic environments. One group of particular concern is behaviorally modifying pharmaceuticals as seemingly minor changes in behavior may initiate marked ecological consequences. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of a benzodiazepine anxiolytic drug (oxazepam) on key behavioral traits in wild roach (Rutilus rutilus) at concentrations similar to those encountered in effluent surface waters. Roach exposed to water with high concentrations of oxazepam (280 mu g/L) exhibited increased boldness, while roach at low treatment (0.84 mu g/L) became bolder and more active compared to control fish. Our results reinforce the notion that anxiolytic drugs may be affecting fish behavior in natural systems, emphasizing the need for further research on ecological impacts of pharmaceuticals in aquatic systems and development of new tools to incorporate ecologically relevant behavioral endpoints into ecotoxicological risk assessment.
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| 21. |
- Cerveny, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure via biotransformation : oxazepam reaches predicted pharmacological effect levels in European perch after exposure to temazepam
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. - : Academic Press. - 0147-6513 .- 1090-2414. ; 217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is generally expected that biotransformation and excretion of pharmaceuticals occurs similarly in fish and mammals, despite significant physiological differences. Here, we exposed European perch (Perca fluviatilis) to the benzodiazepine drug temazepam at a nominal concentration of 2 µg L−1 for 10 days. We collected samples of blood plasma, muscle, and brain in a time-dependent manner to assess its bioconcentration, biotransformation, and elimination over another 10 days of depuration in clean water. We observed rapid pharmacokinetics of temazepam during both the exposure and depuration periods. The steady state was reached within 24 h of exposure in most individuals, as was complete elimination of temazepam from tissues during depuration. Further, the biologically active metabolite oxazepam was produced via fish biotransformation, and accumulated significantly throughout the exposure period. In contrast to human patients, where a negligible amount of oxazepam is created by temazepam biotransformation, we observed a continuous increase of oxazepam concentrations in all fish tissues throughout exposure. Indeed, oxazepam accumulated more than its parent compound, did not reach a steady state during the exposure period, and was not completely eliminated even after 10 days of depuration, highlighting the importance of considering environmental hazards posed by pharmaceutical metabolites.
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| 22. |
- Cerveny, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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Water temperature affects the biotransformation and accumulation of a psychoactive pharmaceutical and its biologically active metabolite in aquatic organisms
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 155
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have been shown to accumulate in aquatic and riparian food-webs. Yet, our understanding of how temperature, a key environmental factor in nature, affects uptake, biotransformation, and the subsequent accumulation of PhACs in aquatic organisms is limited. In this study, we tested to what extent bioconcentration of an anxiolytic drugs (temazepam and oxazepam) is affected by two temperature regimes (10 and 20 °C) and how the temperature affects the temazepam biotransformation and subsequent accumulation of its metabolite (oxazepam) in aquatic organisms. We used European perch (Perca fluviatilis) and dragonfly larvae (Sympetrum sp.), which represent predator and prey species of high ecological relevance in food chains of boreal and temperate aquatic ecosystems. Experimental organisms were exposed to target pharmaceuticals at a range of concentrations (0.2–6 µg L−1) to study concentration dependent differences in bioconcentration and biotransformation. We found that the bioconcentration of temazepam in perch was significantly reduced at higher temperatures. Also, temperature had a strong effect on temazepam biotransformation in the fish, with the production and subsequent accumulation of its metabolite (oxazepam) being two-fold higher at 20 °C compared to 10 °C. In contrast, we found no temperature dependency for temazepam bioconcentration in dragonfly larvae and no detectable biotransformation of the parent compound that would result in measurable concentrations of oxazepam in this organism. Our results highlight that while organisms may share the same aquatic ecosystem, their exposure to PhACs may change differently across temperature gradients in the environment.
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| 23. |
- Cerveny, D., et al.
(författare)
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Water temperature affects the biotransformation and accumulation of a psychoactive pharmaceutical and its metabolite in aquatic organisms
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 155
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have been shown to accumulate in aquatic and riparian food-webs. Yet, our understanding of how temperature, a key environmental factor in nature, affects uptake, biotransformation, and the subsequent accumulation of PhACs in aquatic organisms is limited. In this study, we tested to what extent bioconcentration of an anxiolytic drugs (temazepam and oxazepam) is affected by two temperature regimes (10 and 20 °C) and how the temperature affects the temazepam biotransformation and subsequent accumulation of its metabolite (oxazepam) in aquatic organisms. We used European perch (Perca fluviatilis) and dragonfly larvae (Sympetrum sp.), which represent predator and prey species of high ecological relevance in food chains of boreal and temperate aquatic ecosystems. Experimental organisms were exposed to target pharmaceuticals at a range of concentrations (0.2–6 µg L−1) to study concentration dependent differences in bioconcentration and biotransformation. We found that the bioconcentration of temazepam in perch was significantly reduced at higher temperatures. Also, temperature had a strong effect on temazepam biotransformation in the fish, with the production and subsequent accumulation of its metabolite (oxazepam) being two-fold higher at 20 °C compared to 10 °C. In contrast, we found no temperature dependency for temazepam bioconcentration in dragonfly larvae and no detectable biotransformation of the parent compound that would result in measurable concentrations of oxazepam in this organism. Our results highlight that while organisms may share the same aquatic ecosystem, their exposure to PhACs may change differently across temperature gradients in the environment.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Fahlman, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of Oxazepam on Perch (Perca fluviatilis) Behavior : Fish Familiarized to Lake Conditions Do Not Show Predicted Anti-anxiety Response
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 55:6, s. 3624-3633
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A current theory in environmental science states that dissolved anxiolytics (oxazepam) from wastewater effluents can reduce anti-predator behavior in fish with potentially negative impacts on prey fish populations. Here, we hypothesize that European perch (Perca fluviatilis) populations being exposed to oxazepam in situ show reduced anti-predator behavior, which has previously been observed for exposed isolated fish in laboratory studies. We tested our hypothesis by exposing a whole-lake ecosystem, containing both perch (prey) and northern pike (Esox lucius; predator), to oxazepam while tracking fish behavior before and after exposure in the exposed lake as well as in an unexposed nearby lake (control). Oxazepam concentrations in the exposed lake ranged between 11 and 24 μg L-1, which is >200 times higher than concentrations reported for European rivers. In contrast to our hypothesis, we did not observe an oxazepam-induced reduction in anti-predator behavior, inferred from perch swimming activity, distance to predators, distance to conspecifics, home-range size, and habitat use. In fact, exposure to oxazepam instead stimulated anti-predator behavior (decreased activity, decreased distance to conspecifics, and increased littoral habitat use) when using behavior in the control lake as a reference. Shoal dynamics and temperature changes may have masked modest reductions in anti-predator behavior due to oxazepam. Although we cannot fully resolve the mechanism(s) behind our observations, our results indicate that the effects of oxazepam on perch behavior in a familiar natural ecosystem are negligible in comparison to the effects of other environmental conditions.
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| 26. |
- Fahlman, Johan, 1988-
(författare)
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The fate and effect of pharmaceuticals in boreal surface waters
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Traces of pharmaceuticals are often found in streams, rivers, and lakes as the result of effluent water discharge. This dissertation aims to create a better understanding of the fate of drugs in aquatic ecosystems and how oxazepam, an anxiolytic pharmaceutical commonly detected in surface waters, affects the behavior of perch (Perca fluviatilis). To address these issues, I used a series of large-scale field experiments to evaluate predictions made in controlled laboratory experiments. My dissertation shows that small-scale incubations commonly used to assess the persistence of pharmaceuticals (trimethoprim, diclofenac, hydroxyzine, diphenhydramine and oxazepam) in aquatic environments effectively predicts the fate of dissolved drugs in freshwater during the first week of contamination. However, these experiments and the conceptual models failed to predict that pharmaceuticals can remain dissolved in freshwater for months. In addition, the results suggest that the drugs remain bioactive for months and that the uptake of different drugs varied widely between trophic levels. For example, benthic species generally had a higher affinity to accumulate the studied drugs than species in higher trophic levels; however, the anxiolytic drug oxazepam was found in perch. To test the effect of oxazepam on perch behavior, I used acoustic telemetry to track the perch in situ (i.e., in the ponds). The in situ behavior of perch correlated with laboratory behavior when findings from several trials were merged into multidimensional behavioral profiles of the studied individuals, although oxazepam did not conclusively affect perch behavior in line with earlier theories, when though concentrations were much higher than concentrations measured in any contaminated environments. I conclude that simplified laboratory experiments have some predictive power regarding the fate and effects of pharmaceuticals in complex natural ecosystems, but laboratory environments may underestimate persistence of drugs in aquatic ecosystems and fail to detect important social drivers of animal behavior in natural settings.
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| 27. |
- Fahlman, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Using laboratory incubations to predict the fate of pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental Chemistry. - : CSIRO Publishing. - 1448-2517 .- 1449-8979. ; 15:8, s. 463-471
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental contextEnvironmental persistence of excreted pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems is usually predicted using small-scale laboratory experiments assumed to simulate natural conditions. We studied five pharmaceuticals comparing their removal rates from water under laboratory conditions and under natural environmental conditions existing in a large pond. We found that the laboratory conditions did not fully capture the complexity within the pond, which led to different removal rates in the two systems. AbstractEnvironmental persistence is a key property when evaluating risks with excreted pharmaceuticals in aquatic ecosystems. Such persistence is typically predicted using small-scale laboratory incubations, but the variation in aquatic environments and scarcity of field studies to verify laboratory-based persistence estimates create uncertainties around the predictive power of these incubations. In this study we: (1) assess the persistence of five pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine, trimethoprim and oxazepam) in laboratory experiments under different environmental conditions; and (2) use a three-month-long field study in an aquatic ecosystem to verify the laboratory-based persistence estimates. In our laboratory assays, we found that water temperature (TEMP), concentrations of organic solutes (TOC), presence of sediment (SED), and solar radiation (SOL) individually affected dissipation rates. Moreover, we identified rarely studied interaction effects between the treatments (i.e. SOLxSED and TEMPxSOL), which affected the persistence of the studied drugs. Half-lives obtained from the laboratory assays largely explained the dissipation rates during the first week of the field study. However, none of the applied models could accurately predict the long-term dissipation rates (month time-scale) from the water column. For example, the studied antibioticum (trimethoprim) and the anti-anxiety drug (oxazepam) remained at detectable levels in the aquatic environment long after (similar to 150 days) our laboratory based models predicted complete dissipation. We conclude that small-scale laboratory incubations seem sufficient to approximate the short-term (i.e. within a week) dissipation rate of drugs in aquatic ecosystems. However, this simplistic approach does not capture interacting environmental processes that preserve a fraction of the dissolved pharmaceuticals for months in natural water bodies.
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| 28. |
- Feng, Wenting, et al.
(författare)
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Millennia-old organic carbon in a boreal paleosol : chemical properties and their link to mineralizable carbon fraction
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Soils and Sediments. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1439-0108 .- 1614-7480. ; 16:1, s. 85-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Little is known about the biogeochemical properties of millennia-old soil organic matter (SOM) in boreal forest paleosols and whether these properties contribute to the persistence of several millennia-old SOM. In this study, we assessed the physicochemical properties of a well-drained paleosol and looked for links between these properties and the mineralizable carbon (C) fraction. We studied a well-drained paleosol located under a typical forest podzol in Northern Sweden, in which up to 7-kyr-old SOM was preserved according to C-14 dating. We assessed the elemental compositions of the outermost 2-mu m and 10-nm soil particle surfaces by using energy-dispersive X-ray scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. We also conducted a 5-week laboratory incubation of samples from both the paleosol and the podzol to quantify their mineralizable C fractions and analyzed the thermal stability of soil samples before and after incubation by using temperature-programmed desorption coupled with mass spectrometry techniques. Proxies for weathering (i.e., total mineral surface area and Al/Si and Fe/Si ratios of particle surfaces) suggested that the paleosol was at the same weathering stage as the contemporary forming podzol. Mineral soil particle surfaces of both the paleosol and podzol were dominated by aliphatic and ether/alcohol C functional groups. The incubation and thermal analysis showed that the mineralizable C fraction of the paleosol was smaller than that of the podzol, and losses of thermally labile SOM due to microbial degradation during the incubations were only detected in the mineral free O horizon of the podzol. Moreover, the mineralizable C fraction of the sampled podzol-paleosol sequence was correlated to the proportion of ether/alcohol C functional groups at the outermost 10-nm soil particle surfaces. Based on the links between microbial decomposition and the chemistry of soil particle surfaces and the thermal stability difference between organic and mineral soils induced by microbial decomposition, we conclude that the intrinsic chemical properties of SOM and its chemical surroundings is important for SOM preservation over a millennia timescale in the studied soil.
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| 29. |
- Feng, Wenting, et al.
(författare)
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Thermal Stability of Goethite-Bound Natural Organic Matter Is Impacted by Carbon Loading
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 119:51, s. 12790-12796
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dissolved natural organic matter (NOM) sorption at mineral surfaces can significantly affect the persistence. of organic carbon in soils and sediments. Consequently, determining the mechanisms that stabilize sorbed NOM is crucial for predicting the persistence of carbon in nature. This study determined the effects of loadings and pH on the thermal stability of NOM associated: With synthetic goethite (alpha-FeOOH) particle surfaces, as a proxy for NOM mineral interactions taking place in nature.. NOM thermal stability was investigated using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) in the 30-700 degrees C range to collect vibration spectra of thermally decomposing goethite NOM assemblages, and to concomitantly analyze evolved gases using mass spectrometry Results showed that NOM thermal stability, indicated by the range of temperatures in which CO2 evolved during thermal decomposition, was greatest in unbound NOM and lowest when NOM was bound to goethite. NOM thermal Stability was also loading dependent. It decreased:when loadings were in increased the 0.01 to 042 mg C m(-2) range, where the upper value corresponds to a Langmuirian adsorption maximum. Concomitant Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurement showed that these lowered stabilities could be ascribed to direct NOM-goethite interactions that dominated the NOM binding environment. Mineral surface interactions at larger loadings involved, on the contrary, a smaller fraction of the sorbed NOM, thus increasing thermal stability toward that of its unbound counterpart. This study thus identifies a sorption threshold below which NOM sorption to goethite decreases NOM thermal stability, and above which no strong effects are Manifested. This should likely influence the fate of organic carbon exposed to thermal gradients in natural environments.
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| 30. |
- Ferro-Vázquez, C., et al.
(författare)
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Comparing podzolization under different bioclimatic conditions
- 2020
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Ingår i: Geoderma. - : Elsevier. - 0016-7061 .- 1872-6259. ; 377
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Silicate weathering and within soil redistribution of released metals are a near universal process believed to drive the formation of Podzols in various bioclimatic zones, ranging from tropical forest to Arctic environments. Yet the importance of climate and the fractionation of Al, Fe and Si in Podzols remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of climate-related variability in the podzolization mechanisms by conducing high-resolution chemical probing of seven soils in different bioclimatic zones and under different hydrological regimes: one well drained and one seasonally hydromorphic from the boreal zone (Sweden), two well-drained Podzols from a mild and humid area (NW Spain) and three, two poorly drained and one well drained soils, from the tropics (Brazil). The analytical strategy included seven selective dissolution techniques, in order to understand the distribution of Fe, Al and Si in organic (high, medium and low stability metal-OM complexes) and inorganic secondary compounds (short-range order and crystalline forms) in relation to their bioclimatic setting. Results indicate that the translocation of metals is coupled to the soil organic matter (SOM) mobilization in all three bioclimatic zones. The accumulation of metals and organic matter in the spodic horizons, in contrast, is contingent upon temperature, as well as on the local hydrological conditions and pH. Multivariate statistics allowed to identify the effect of climate, of soil hydrological conditions and of parent material in the soil vertical development. The high vertical resolution sampling and the extended fractionation employed were key for detecting the differences in Al, Fe and SOM dynamics in the studied soils, and revealed that different podzolization mechanisms are active in each bioclimatic zone.
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| 31. |
- Ferro-Vazquez, C., et al.
(författare)
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Metal and organic matter immobilization in temperate podzols : a high resolution study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Geoderma. - : Elsevier. - 0016-7061 .- 1872-6259. ; 217, s. 225-234
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aluminium and Fe fractions were obtained in samples from two temperate podzols by selective extraction with NaOH (Al-n, Fe-n), Na-dithionite-citrate (Al-d, Fe-d), acid NH4-oxalate (Al-o, Fe-o) and Na-pyrophosphate (Al-p, Fe-p) following the traditional fractionation procedures, and also by the use of the chlorides of K (Al-K), La (Al-La) and Cu (Al-cu) as non-buffered extractants for Al. Carbon content was also determined in the Na-pyrophosphate extract (C-p). Soil sampling was done at high-resolution to allow a more detailed characterization of the vertical processes than the traditional sampling by whole soil horizons. Results showed that Al-p and Fe-p make a large proportion of the Alo and Fe-o meaning that organoaluminic complexes dominated in the "active" metal pool instead of inorganic compounds. The degree of metal saturation of soil organic matter (estimated by the (Al-p Fe-p)/C-p molar ratios) increases with depth, especially in the uppermost samples of spodic horizons (Bhs1) where it increases up to 0.1. Aluminium dominates in the adsorption positions of the organic matter in the spodic horizon (Fe-p/Al-p ratios <0.5), except in the Bhs1 horizon (ratios > 1), indicating that the immobilization of Fe containing complexes occurs 10-15 cm above that of Al The highly stable Al-OM complexes accounted on average for 60% of the organoaluminic associations (>70% in the Bhs horizons). The moderately stable complexes predominate in A horizons (57-77% in ACB1 and 37-48% in ACB2) and the largest proportions of low stability complexes were found in the uppermost samples of the spodic horizons (Bhs1) of both soils (9-21%), together with the highest Fep contents and a decrease in pH values. From a stepwise multiple regression model it is suggested that pH is the main variable accounting for the stability of Al-OM compounds together with C and organically bound Fe contents. It is suggested that the illuviation of unsaturated organic acids lower the pH in upper spodic horizons, leading to the complexation of metals from formerly precipitated organometallic complexes and/or leading to their redissolution, enabling their migration to deeper soil layers. Iron complexes would be less soluble at soil pH, resulting in a differentiation of an upper Fe-rich Bhs1 horizon and a lower Bhs2 Al-rich horizon. The depth variation in C accumulation was found to be related to the proportion of highly stable Al-OM fraction.
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| 32. |
- Ferro-Vázquez, Cruz, et al.
(författare)
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Tracing Pb Pollution Penetration in Temperate Podzols
- 2017
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Ingår i: Land Degradation and Development. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1085-3278 .- 1099-145X. ; 28:8, s. 2432-2445
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We combine high-resolution soil sampling with lead (Pb) analyses (concentrations and stable isotopes) in two temperate podzols, together with previous data obtained with selective Al and Fe dissolution techniques. We aim to assess how atmospheric Pb is incorporated into the soils during pedogenesis. Partial least squares modelling for Pb concentrations shows that the podzolization process has the largest effect on Pb concentration (803% of the variance). The proportion of inorganic secondary compounds, the input of fresh organic matter from the soil surface and the relative abundance of Fe versus Al are responsible for a small part of the Pb concentration variance. Lead isotopic composition (Pb-206/Pb-207 ratios) depends on soil organic matter content either fresh/poorly humified (573% of the variance) or humified (247% of the variance). The Pb linked to inorganic compounds and the overall podzolization process play a minor role in isotopic signature (53 and 37% of the variance respectively). Soil pH appears to be the controlling variable of the different transport and retention mechanisms. The relatively low isotopic ratios observed in spodic horizons result from geogenic Pb released through the preferential dissolution of the isotopically distinct most weatherable minerals of the parent material in the eluvial horizons, which undergoes downward mobilization. An accurate knowledge of soil reactive components and formation mechanisms is essential to a correct diagnose of the scope of Pb pollution and a more effective design of remediation strategies.
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| 33. |
- Fick, Jerker, et al.
(författare)
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Screening of benzodiazepines in thirty European rivers
- 2017
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 176, s. 324-332
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pharmaceuticals as environmental contaminants have received a lot of interest over the past decade but, for several pharmaceuticals, relatively little is known about their occurrence in European surface waters. Benzodiazepines, a class of pharmaceuticals with anxiolytic properties, have received interest due to their behavioral modifying effect on exposed biota. In this study, our results show the presence of one or more benzodiazepine(s) in 86% of the analyzed surface water samples (n = 138) from 30 rivers, representing seven larger European catchments. Of the 13 benzodiazepines included in the study, we detected 9, which together showed median and mean concentrations (of the results above limit of quantification) of 5.4 and 9.6 ng L-1, respectively. Four benzodiazepines (oxazepam, temazepam, clobazam, and bromazepam) were the most commonly detected. In particular, oxazepam had the highest frequency of detection (85%) and a maximum concentration of 61 ng L-1. Temazepam and clobazam were found in 26% (maximum concentration of 39 ng L-1) and 14% (maximum concentration of 11 ng L-1) of the samples analyzed, respectively. Finally, bromazepam was found only in Germany and in 16 out of total 138 samples (12%), with a maximum concentration of 320 ng L-1. This study clearly shows that benzodiazepines are common micro-contaminants of the largest European river systems at ng L-1 levels. Although these concentrations are more than a magnitude lower than those reported to have effective effects on exposed biota, environmental effects cannot be excluded considering the possibility of additive and sub-lethal effects.
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| 34. |
- Futter, Martyn, et al.
(författare)
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Uncertainty in silicate mineral weathering rate estimates : source partitioning and policy implications
- 2012
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 7:2, s. 024025-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Precise and accurate estimates of silicate mineral weathering rates are crucial when setting policy targets for long-term forest sustainability, critical load calculations and assessing consequences of proposed geo-engineering solutions to climate change. In this paper, we scrutinize 394 individual silicate mineral weathering estimates from 82 sites on three continents. We show that within-site differences of several hundred per cent arise when different methods are used to estimate weathering rates, mainly as a result of uncertainties related to input data rather than conceptually different views of the weathering process. While different methods tend to rank sites congruently from high to low weathering rates, large within-site differences in estimated weathering rate suggest that policies relying on quantitative estimates based upon a single method may have undesirable outcomes. We recommend the use of at least three independent estimates when making management decisions related to silicate mineral weathering rates.
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| 35. |
- Giesler, Reiner, et al.
(författare)
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Boreal Forests Sequester Large Amounts of Mercury over Millennial Time Scales in the Absence of Wildfire
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 51:5, s. 2621-2627
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alterations in fire activity due to climate change and fire suppression may have profound effects on the balance between storage and release of carbon (C) and associated volatile elements. Stored soil mercury (Hg) is known to volatilize due to wildfires and this could substantially affect the land air exchange of Hg; conversely the absence of fires and human disturbance may increase the time period over which Hg is sequestered. Here we show for a wildfire chronosequence spanning over more than 5000 years in boreal forest in northern Sweden that belowground inventories of total Hg are strongly related to soil humus C accumulation (R-2 = 0.94, p < 0.001). Our data clearly show that northern boreal forest soils have a strong sink capacity for Hg, and indicate that the sequestered Hg is bound in soil organic matter pools accumulating over millennia. Our results also suggest that more than half of the Hg stock in the sites with the longest time since fire originates from deposition predating the onset of large-scale anthropogenic emissions. This study emphasizes the importance of boreal forest humus soils for Hg storage and reveals that this pool is likely to persist over millennial time scales in the prolonged absence of fire.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Hellström, Gustav, et al.
(författare)
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Environmentally relevant concentrations of the common anxiolytic pharmaceutical oxazepam do not have acute effect on spawning behavior in mature male Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ichthyology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0175-8659 .- 1439-0426. ; 36:1, s. 105-112
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Low concentrations of psychiatric drugs are commonly found in surface waters around the world, and their ability to alter behaviors in aquatic fauna has raised concerns about ecological effects. One critical effect that contamination can have in aquatic systems is modifications of reproductive behaviors. In this study, we hypothesized that oxazepam, a common anxiolytic drug and aquatic contaminant previously shown to induce anti-anxiety behavior in salmonids, also affects the reproductive behavior of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). To test this hypothesis, small sexually mature Atlantic salmon males (mature parr) were exposed to concentrations of oxazepam comparable to that of effluent water (1.9 mu g/L). After 5 days of exposure, their reproductive behavior was compared with that of unexposed control individuals. Behavior was monitored in a large-scale flume aquarium that also contained a large male and a female to mimic natural spawning conditions for Atlantic salmon. Three behaviors were quantified for the mature parr; (a) amount of courting behavior towards female, (b) proximity to female, and (c) amount of attacks received from the large male. In contrast to our hypothesis, no difference in either courting behavior, proximity to female, or received aggression could be found between exposed and control male parr. Hence, our results indicate that there is no acute effect of the highest levels of oxazepam concentration reported for urban environments on spawning behavior of mature male parr, although chronic effects could not be ruled out.
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| 38. |
- Hellström, Gustav, et al.
(författare)
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GABAergic anxiolytic drug in water increases migration behaviour in salmon
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Migration is an important life-history event in a wide range of taxa, yet many migrations are influenced by anthropogenic change. Although migration dynamics are extensively studied, the potential effects of environmental contaminants on migratory physiology are poorly understood. In this study we show that an anxiolytic drug in water can promote downward migratory behaviour of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in both laboratory setting and in a natural river tributary. Exposing salmon smolt to a dilute concentration of a GABAA receptor agonist (oxazepam) increased migration intensity compared with untreated smolt. These results implicate that salmon migration may be affected by human-induced changes in water chemical properties, such as acidification and pharmaceutical residues in wastewater effluent, via alterations in the GABAA receptor function.
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| 39. |
- Hellström, Gustav, et al.
(författare)
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Upscaling behavioural studies to the field using acoustic telemetry
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Aquatic Toxicology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0166-445X .- 1879-1514. ; 170, s. 384-389
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Laboratory-based behavioural assays are often used in ecotoxicological studies to assess the environmental risk of aquatic contaminants. While results from such laboratory-based risk assessments may be difficult to extrapolate to natural environments, technological advancements over the past decade now make it possible to perform risk assessments through detailed studies of exposed individuals in natural settings. Acoustic telemetry is a technology to monitor movement and behaviour of aquatic organism in oceans, lakes, and rivers. The technology allows for tracking of multiple individuals simultaneously with very high temporal and spatial resolution, with the option to incorporate sensors to measure various physiological and environmental parameters. Although frequently used in fisheries research, aquatic ecotoxicology has been slow to adopt acoustic telemetry as a tool in field-based studies. This mini-review intends to introduce acoustic telemetry to aquatic ecotoxicologists, focusing on the potential of the technology to bridge the gap between laboratory assays and natural behaviours when making toxicological risk assessments.
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| 40. |
- Heynen, Martina, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of bioconcentration and trophic transfer on realized exposure to oxazepam in 2 predators, the dragonfly larvae (Aeshna grandis) and the Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis)
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0730-7268 .- 1552-8618. ; 35:4, s. 930-937
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Psychoactive substances are used worldwide and constitute one of the most common groups of pharmaceutical contaminants in surface waters. Although these pharmaceuticals are designed to be efficiently eliminated from the human body, very little is known about their trophic-transfer potential in aquatic wildlife. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to quantify and compare uptake of an anxiolytic (oxazepam) from water (bioconcentration) and via the consumption of contaminated diet (trophic transfer) in 2 common freshwater predators: Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) and the dragonfly larvae Aeshna grandis. Bioconcentration and trophic transfer of oxazepam were found in both predator species. However, higher bioconcentrations were observed for perch (bioconcentration factor [BCF], 3.7) than for dragonfly larvae (BCF, 0.5). Perch also retained more oxazepam from consumed prey (41%) than dragonfly larvae (10%), whereas the relative contribution via prey consumption was 14% and 42% for perch and dragonflies, respectively. In addition, bioconcentration was negatively correlated with perch weight, indicating that exposure levels in natural contaminated environments differ between individuals of different size or between different developmental stages. Hence, trophic transfer of pharmaceuticals may indeed occur, and estimates of environmental exposures that do not consider intake via food or size-dependent bioconcentration may therefore lead to wrongful estimations of realized exposure levels in natural contaminated ecosystems. (C) 2016 SETAC
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| 41. |
- Heynen, Martina, et al.
(författare)
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Home alone : the effects of isolation on uptake of a pharmaceutical contaminant in a social fish
- 2016
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Ingår i: Aquatic Toxicology. - : Elsevier. - 0166-445X .- 1879-1514. ; 180, s. 71-77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A wide range of biologically active pharmaceutical residues is present in aquatic systems worldwide. As uptake potential and the risk of effects in aquatic wildlife are directly coupled, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between stress by isolation, uptake and effects of the psychiatric pharmaceutical oxazepam in fish. To do this, we measured cortisol levels, behavioral stress responses, and oxazepam uptake under different stress and social conditions, in juvenile perch (Percafluviatilis) that were either exposed (1.03 mu gl(-1)) or not exposed to oxazepam. We found single exposed individuals to take up more oxazepam than individuals exposed in groups, likely as a result of stress caused by isolation. Furthermore, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) was significantly negatively correlated with fish weight in both social treatments. We found no effect of oxazepam exposure on body cortisol concentration or behavioral stress response. Most laboratory experiments, including standardized bioconcentration assays, are designed to minimize stress for the test organisms, however wild animals experience stress naturally. Hence, differences in stress levels between laboratory and natural environments can be one of the reasons why predictions from artificial laboratory experiments largely underestimate uptake of oxazepam, and other pharmaceuticals, in the wild.
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| 42. |
- Heynen, Martina, et al.
(författare)
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Tissue-specific uptake of the benzodiazepine oxazepam in adult Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Chemistry. - 1448-2517 .- 1449-8979. ; 13:5, s. 849-853
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Psychoactive substances are used worldwide and constitute one of the common groups of pharmaceutical contaminants in surface waters. Typically, in field surveys and laboratory studies, muscle or whole - body homogenates are used to quantify pharmaceutical concentrations in biota, although uptake of pharmaceuticals may be tissue - specific. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the tissue - specific (muscle, liver, brain and blood plasma) uptake of the anxiolytic oxazepam in adult Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis). In laboratory experiments, perch were exposed to four different concentrations (2, 4, 12 and 20 mu g L-1) of oxazepam for 6 days, and muscle, liver, brain tissue and blood plasma were sampled to determine tissue - specific bioconcentration. We found that the tissue - specific bioconcentration was independent of oxazepam concentration. However, among tissue types, bioconcentration was significantly different, with the concentration in muscle, liver = brain, blood plasma. Hence, it is important to consider the type of tissue used to quantify pharmaceutical uptake in fish, for predictions of species - specific sensitivity and comparisons across studies. Furthermore, our results indicate a somewhat lower transportability (brain/plasma ratio 0.54) of oxazepam from blood to brain in fish compared with in mammals, which should be kept in mind when employing 'read - across' approaches.
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| 43. |
- Jelinski, Nicolas A., et al.
(författare)
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Utilising a suite of isotopic and elemental tracers to constrain cryoturbation rates and patterns in a non-sorted circle
- 2017
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Ingår i: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1045-6740 .- 1099-1530. ; 28:4, s. 634-648
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The empirical quantification of rates of material movement in cryoturbated soils has lagged behind the physical and chemical characterisation of these materials. We applied a novel suite of elemental (C, Hg), stable isotope (C-13) and radioisotope (Cs-137, Pb-210, C-14, Be-10) tracers in conjunction with analytical and numerical models to constrain the rates and patterns of soil movement due to cryoturbation in a non-sorted circle (NSC) near Abisko, Sweden. We present the first observations of the variability of Be-10 across a patterned-ground feature, which facilitate the interpretation of subsurface peaks in soil organic carbon, Hg and C-13 and provide constraints on the surficial histories of cryoturbated materials. Apparent rates of surficial lateral movement across the NSC estimated from Cs-137 and Pb-210 (0-2.55cm year(-1)) decreased with distance from its centre and were an order of magnitude greater than rates of subduction and subsurface movement estimated from C-14 (0.04-0.27cm year(-1)). Novel estimates of the original surficial residence times of cryoturbated parcels based on excess Be-10 and Hg inventories ranged from 238 to 3940years. Our results demonstrate the utility of the spatially explicit application of elemental and radioisotopic tracer suites to constrain cryoturbation rates in Arctic patterned ground.
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| 44. |
- Jerand, Philip, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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The legacy of ecological imperialism in the Scandes : earthworms and their implications for Arctic research
- 2023
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Ingår i: Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine research. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1523-0430 .- 1938-4246. ; 55:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the nineteenth century, numerous settlements were established in the alpine region of Fennoscandia (the Scandes), an area that later became a major international scene for Arctic research. Here we raise awareness of this era and show that earthworm-driven bioturbation in “pristine” soils around contemporary Arctic research infrastructure is caused by soil fauna left behind during early land use. We use soil preserved under an alpine settlement to highlight that soils were not bioturbated when the first house was built at a site where bioturbation is now widespread. A review of archived material with unique site-specific chronology constrained the onset of bioturbation to the post-1871 era. Our results suggest that small-scale land use introduced earthworms that now thrive far beyond the realms of former cultivated fields. The legacy of soil fauna from this example of “ecological imperialism” still lingers and should be considered when studying soils of the Scandes.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Johansson, Karin S L, et al.
(författare)
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Development of a quantitative PCR method to explore the historical occurrence of a nuisance microalga under expansion
- 2016
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Ingår i: Harmful Algae. - : Elsevier BV. - 1568-9883 .- 1878-1470. ; 56, s. 67-76
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A number of marine and freshwater harmful algal bloom (HAB) species have colonized new areas and expanded their habitat range in recent years. Nevertheless it is notoriously difficult to establish when colonization first occurred, what the dispersal routes are, and to separate recent invasion from increases in existent but small populations. The freshwater raphidophyte Gonyostomum semen is a nuisance species that has expanded its habitat range and increased in abundance in northern Europe during the past decades. To evaluate to what extent sediments can be used for determining historic occurrence of G. semen, a quantitative real-time PCR method for detecting cysts of this algae was developed. This paper presents a qPCR protocol with a set of primers that are specific to Gonyostomum and with PCR conditions optimized for sediment samples from humic lakes, which are the common habitat of G. semen. With this sensitive method as few as 1.6 cysts per PCR reaction could be reliably quantified, corresponding to 320 cysts per g wet weight sediment. Cysts were present in sediments with ages ranging from years to decades and their persistence allows detection of historic populations up to at least 50 years old. With this qPCR assay it will be possible to trace the presence of G. semen in environments prior to the onset of algae-specific monitoring programs as well as for quantification in water column samples. © 2016 The Authors.
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| 47. |
- Jonsson, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Cascading effects of earthworm invasion increase graminoid density and rodent grazing intensities
- 2024
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Ingår i: Ecology. - : The Ecological Society of America. - 0012-9658 .- 1939-9170. ; 105:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human-mediated dispersal of non-native earthworms can cause substantial changes to the functioning and composition of ecosystems previously earthworm-free. Some of these earthworm species have the potential to “geoengineer” soils and increase plant nitrogen (N) uptake. Yet the possible consequences of increased plant N concentrations on rodent grazing remains poorly understood. In this study, we present findings from a common garden experiment with two tundra communities, meadow (forb dominated) and heath (shrub dominated), half of them subjected to 4 years of earthworm presence (Lumbricus spp. and Aporrectodea spp.). Within four summers, our earthworm treatment changed plant community composition by increasing graminoid density by, on average, 94% in the heath vegetation and by 49% in the meadow. Rodent winter grazing was more intense on plants growing in soils with earthworms, an effect that coincided with higher N concentrations in plants, indicating a higher palatability. Even though earthworms reduced soil moisture, plant community productivity, as indicated by vegetation greenness (normalized difference vegetation index), was not negatively impacted. We conclude that earthworm-induced changes in plant composition and trophic interactions may fundamentally alter the functioning of tundra ecosystems.
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| 48. |
- Jonsson, Micael, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Antihistamines and aquatic insects : Bioconcentration and impacts on behavior in damselfly larvae (Zygoptera)
- 2014
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 472, s. 108-111
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Because aquatic insects use histamines as neurotransmitters, adverse impacts on aquatic insects living in aquatic environments that receive antihistamines with wastewater effluent are plausible. In this study, we exposed damselfly larvae to low concentrations of two commonly used antihistamines (Hydroxyzine and Fexofenadine, 360 +/- 42 and 2200 +/- 43 ng 1(-1), respectively), and recorded damselfly larvae behavior before and after exposure. Further, after the second set of behavioral assays was performed, we quantified bioconcentration of the antihistamines in the damselfly bodies. Our results showed significant changes in damselfly behavior following antihistamine exposure. After Hydroxyzine exposure, the damselfly larvae became less active, and they showed reduced fleeing response (i.e. increased boldness) after being exposed to Fexofenadine, the latter also being significantly different from the non-exposed (control) individuals. Further, we found high levels of bioconcentration in the damselflies; Hydroxyzine showed an average bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 2000. As such, our results indicate that low concentrations of antihistamines can have sub-lethal effects on aquatic insects manifested as behavioral changes, and that bioconcentration of these substances can be high. Therefore, the need to investigate the impact of emergent aquatic contaminants also on aquatic insects, and on behaviors that are of ecological importance, is further highlighted. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 49. |
- Jonsson, Micael, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of an antihistamine on carbon and nutrient recycling in streams
- 2015
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 538, s. 240-245
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In stream ecosystems, microbes and macroinvertebrates consume leaf litter deposited from the riparian vegetation, and thereby recycle resources tied up in the litter. Several environmental variables influence rates of this recycling, but it is not well known if common pharmaceuticals, such as antihistamines, originating from waste-water effluent, have additional impacts. Exposure to dilute concentrations of antihistamines may adversely influence aquatic detritivorous invertebrates, because invertebrates use histamines for neurotransmission, resulting in hampered recycling of resource tied up in leaf detritus. In this study, we therefore investigated if the antihistamine fexofenadine, at a concentration of 2000 ng l(-1), alters rates of leaf litter decomposition in stream microcosms. Stonefly larvae (n = 10, per microcosm), together with natural microbial communities, served as main decomposer organisms on alder leaf litter. First, we used 30 microcosms containing fexofenadine, while the other 30 served as non-contaminated controls, and of each 30 microcosms, 14 contained stonefly larvae and microbes, while the remaining 16 contained only microbes. We found, in contrast to our hypothesis, that fexofenadine had no effect on leaf litter decomposition via impacts on the stonefly larvae. However, independent on if stoneflies were present or not, concentrations of organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (N) were strongly affected, with 20-26 and 24-31% lower concentrations of TOC and N, respectively, in the presence of fexofenadine. Second, in a scaled down follow-up experiment we found that microbial activity increased by 85%, resulting in a 10% decrease in pH, in the presence of fexofenadine. While the antihistamine concentration we used is higher than those thus far found in the field (1-10 ng l(-1)), it is still 100 times lower than the predicted no-effect concentration for fexofenadine. As such, our results indicate that low mu g l(-1) levels of antihistamines can have an effect on carbon and nutrient recycling in aquatic system. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 50. |
- Jonsson, Micael, et al.
(författare)
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High-speed imaging reveals how antihistamine exposure affects escape behaviours in aquatic insect prey
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 648, s. 1257-1262
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aquatic systems receive a wide range of pharmaceuticals that may have adverse impacts on aquatic wildlife. Among these pharmaceuticals, antihistamines are commonly found, and these substances have the potential to influence the physiology of aquatic invertebrates. Previous studies have focused on how antihistamines may affect behaviours of aquatic invertebrates, but these studies probably do not capture the full consequences of antihistamine exposure, as traditional recording techniques do not capture important animal movements occurring at the scale of milliseconds, such as prey escape responses. In this study, we investigated if antihistamine exposure can impact escape responses in aquatic insect, by exposing damselfly (Coenagrion hastulatum) larvae to two environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1 and 1 μg L−1) of diphenhydramine. Importantly, we used a high-speed imaging approach that with high-time resolution captures details of escape responses and, thus, potential impacts of diphenhydramine on these behaviours. Our results show overall weak effects of antihistamine exposure on the escape behaviours of damselfly larvae. However, at stage 2 of the C-escape response, we found a significant increase in turning angle, which corresponds to a reduced swimming velocity, indicating a reduced success at evading a predator attack. Thus, we show that low concentrations of an antihistamine may affect behaviours strongly related to fitness of aquatic insect prey – effects would have been overlooked using traditional recording techniques. Hence, to understand the full consequences of pharmaceutical contamination on aquatic wildlife, high-speed imaging should be incorporated into future environmental risk assessments.
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