hrvatski

Cross-ecosystem transfer of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors through emerging caddisflies

Presence of emerging contaminants in freshwaters worldwide is recognized as growing threat for freshwater ecosystems, and its impacts on biota remain largely unknown. Emerging contaminants, like pharmaceuticals (PhACs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), can be transferred from aquatic to terrestrial environments through emergent aquatic insects, which bioaccumulate them during their aquatic life stages. In the current study, we aim at investigating the role of caddisflies in transport of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems and food webs. More precisely, we focused on examining bioaccumulation patterns of PhACs and EDCs in aquatic life stages of the caddisfly Silo nigricornis (Pictet, 1834), collected at two sites in the NW Croatia affected with wastewater pollution and extremely high abundance of this species. Moreover, with the aim to determine trends in ECs concentrations during different life stages, we calculated bioamplification factors (BAMFs) between larvae (LV) and pupae (PU), as well as between pupae and adults (IM). Results show that 17 ECs bioaccumulated in caddisfly tissues. Seven compounds’ concentrations showed significant differences between life stages, all having highest values in adults compared to larvae and/or pupae. Accordingly, BAMFs showed increase in concentrations during at least one stage of the metamorphosis (LV to PU and/or IM) for 13 compounds. Moreover, for six compounds bioamplification was inferred (BAMFs >=1) through both metamorphosis stages. Elevated concentration of ECs in adult caddisflies is mostly result of reduced body mass occurring during metamorphosis. Such increased body burden of PhACs and EDCs in adult caddisflies could greatly impact their riparian predators, such as spiders, birds and bats, which are consequently exposed to elevated concentrations of contaminants originating from aquatic pollution. Results of this research provide new insights on the behaviour and fate of PhACs and EDCs on the aquatic-terrestrial ecosystem boundary.

emerging contaminants ; bioaccumulation ; bioamplification ; Trichoptera

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