engleski

Transfer of waterborne endocrine disrupting compounds in riparian food webs

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are found in freshwaters worldwide, mainly originating from wastewater effluents. These contaminants can accumulate in aquatic organisms and, upon emergence of aquatic insects, can be transferred to terrestrial food webs. Data on such contaminant flux is very scarce and extent of the lateral transport through food webs in the riparian zone is still unexplored. To investigate how food web linkages affect the transfer of EDCs from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems, an in situ study was conducted on location impacted by wastewater. Sampling included water, biofilm, macrophytes, aquatic insects, terrestrial invertebrates, and soil. Terrestrial fauna was sampled at different distances from the river (0-1 m and 1-3 m distance from the waterline, respectively). Ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) was used to screen all samples for 25 compounds. The study found that soil had the highest total EDCs concentration, while Diplopoda had highest concentration compared to all invertebrates. The presence and concentrations of individual compounds varied among different sample types, but bioaccumulation was generally increased with proximity to the river. Results suggest that EDCs can be transferred to the riparian zone not only through aquatic insects but also through detritivores and soil exposed to flooding, as Diplopoda and Lumbricidae stand out with highest differences in concentrations between two terrestrial transects with higher concentrations closer to the river. This study provides new insights into the food web flux of EDCs and the lateral extent of their subsiding in the riparian zone, contributing to our understanding of cross-ecosystem flux of EDCs.

Bioaccumulation ; Endocrine disrupting compounds ; Food web

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