In Germany, half of the land is currently used for agriculture, much of it as arable land. In order to guarantee and maximize yields, about 35,000 tons of highly active substances are used annually in Germany as acaricides, bactericides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, molluscicides, nematocides, rodenticides or viricides. Due to their broad spectrum of activity, pesticides and biocides also have effects on non-target organisms. Thus, after the application of pesticides, animal and plant species are affected not only in the treated fields, but also in adjacent surface waters as a result of spray drift and surface run-off.

The research project, funded by the federal state Hesse, focuses on assessing the effects of episodic heavy rainfall events and associated alternation of high peak pesticide loads and interventing recovery periods on natural macrozoobenthos communities in small streams. During these recovery period(s), only very low and barely detectable background levels of pesticides are present in surface waters. To assess the effects of these pesticide dynamics, different pesticides will be applied in laboratory mesocosms (stream channels) and their direct as well as indirect effects on different representatives of the macrozoobenthos  will be investigated.

Contact:

Sarah Betz
Phone: +49 (0) 69 798-42153
Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-42141
e-mail: s8919378@stud.uni-frankfurt.de

Dr. Matthias Oetken
Phone: +49 (0) 69 798-42148
Fax: +49 (0) 69 798 42141
oetken@bio.uni-frankfurt.de