4.7 Review

The relevance of the community approach linking chemical and biological analyses in pollution assessment

Journal

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Volume 28, Issue 5, Pages 619-626

Publisher

ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2009.02.012

Keywords

Aquatic environment; Biofilm; Biological analysis; Chemical analysis; Community approach; Environmental analysis; Food web; Grazing; Pollution assessment; Toxicity

Funding

  1. EU [511237]
  2. KEYBIOEFFECTS [MRTN-CT-2006-035695]
  3. Spanish Ministry of Science and Education [200612785]
  4. Spanish Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs [009/RN08/011]

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The Water Framework Directive of the European Union requires achievement of good chemical and ecological status in river systems. Risk assessment for toxicants is mostly based on individual single-species tests, though extrapolation of such results to ecosystem evaluation is often afflicted with uncertainties. Advances include higher-tier testing, which comprises use of multifaceted ecotoxicity tests, and community (multi-species) tests. Including several trophic levels in pollutant testing shows that both direct and indirect effects occur in biological communities. Direct effects are expressed as changes in community composition, growth rates, metabolism and death rate. Indirect effects at other trophic levels (primary producers, consumers, predators) are exerted through trophic links. Biofilm-grazers comprise a simple food chain, where potential and negative effects affecting one of them could be magnified through the food web (bottom-up versus top-down effects), thus reinforcing or decreasing the ability of biofilms to be indicators of the effects of toxicants in aquatic ecosystems. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

Article Ecology

Nutrient stream attenuation is altered by the duration and frequency of flow intermittency

Wesley Aparecido Saltarelli, Davi Gasparini Fernandes Cunha, Anna Freixa, Nuria Perujo, Julio C. Lopez-Doval, Vicenc Acuna, Sergi Sabater

Summary: The intermittent flow of the river affects the attenuation of nutrients in lotic ecosystems. Longer periods of non-flow negatively impact nutrient attenuation, but recovery can occur with frequent water flow resumption and longer rewetting periods. Extended desiccation periods have a persistent effect on biogeochemical responses in temporary streams, regardless of the frequency of flow resumption.

ECOHYDROLOGY (2022)

Article Ecology

Fungal Biodiversity Mediates the Effects of Drying on Freshwater Ecosystem Functioning

Rebeca Arias-Real, Cayetano Gutierrez-Canovas, Isabel Munoz, Claudia Pascoal, Margarita Menendez

Summary: Research shows that under drying conditions, fungal biodiversity has a positive effect on organic matter decomposition and fungal biomass accrual; changes in fungal species composition are mainly driven by species turnover. Maintaining high levels of biodiversity is crucial for maintaining functional freshwater ecosystems in response to ongoing and future environmental changes.

ECOSYSTEMS (2022)

Article Biochemical Research Methods

Effects of leachates from UV-weathered microplastic on the microalgae Scenedesmus vacuolatus

Christoph D. Rummel, Hannah Schaefer, Annika Jahnke, Hans Peter H. Arp, Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen

Summary: The study found that leachates from UV-irradiated microplastics have varying degrees of toxicity on chlorophyte Scenedesmus vacuolatus. Leachates from additive-containing electronic waste and keyboard induced severe toxic effects, while those from virgin PET, PP, and PS did not show substantial adverse effects. PE leachates reduced algae biomass, cell growth, and photosynthetic activity.

ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2022)

Article Environmental Sciences

Response of stream ecosystem structure to heavy metal pollution: context-dependency of top-down control by fish

Francesc Rubio-Gracia, Maria Argudo, Lluis Zamora, William H. Clements, Anna Vila-Gispert, Frederic Casals, Helena Guasch

Summary: Heavy metal pollution can affect the impacts of predatory fish on ecosystem structure, but the extent of this influence depends on environmental stress and functional traits. Top predators exert strong top-down control on periphytic algae, mainly through their foraging behavior causing bioturbation. Heavy metal pollution can also alter grazer-periphyton interactions.

AQUATIC SCIENCES (2022)

Article Ecology

Energy limitation or sensitive predators? Trophic and non-trophic impacts of wastewater pollution on stream food webs

Jordi-Rene Mor, Isabel Munoz, Sergi Sabater, Lluis Zamora, Albert Ruhi

Summary: The impacts of urban wastewater pollution on stream food webs are complex, potentially leading to energy limitation for consumers and the extinction of pollution-sensitive top predators. Understanding the indirect and direct mechanisms can help anticipate the effects of changes in water quality and quantity on the environment, which are key signatures of global change.

ECOLOGY (2022)

Article Ecology

Diversity mediates the responses of invertebrate density to duration and frequency of rivers' annual drying regime

Rebeca Arias-Real, Cayetano Gutierrez-Canovas, Margarita Menendez, Veronica Granados, Isabel Munoz

Summary: This study explored how aquatic invertebrates in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams respond to drying frequency and duration, finding that drying frequency reduces diversity while both drying duration and frequency negatively impact density metrics. Filterer, predator, and shredder trophic groups exhibited the strongest negative responses to drying, highlighting the importance of considering multiple drying characteristics in predicting drying responses in freshwater ecosystems.

OIKOS (2021)

Article Environmental Sciences

Green and brown stream trophic food chains show specific responses to constant or hump-shaped inputs of copper

Sergi Sabater, Anna Freixa, Ander Arias, Julio Lopez-Doval

Summary: The study found that copper had significant effects on both the green and brown food chains under two different exposure patterns. Chronic exposure led to a decrease in microbial decomposition rate in the brown food chain and total chlorophyll-a, basal fluorescence, and photosynthetic yield in the green food chain; whereas hump-shaped exposure resulted in the highest mortality of the snail Radix balthica in the green food chain.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2022)

Article Limnology

Impacts of damming and climate change on the ecosystem structure of headwater streams: a case study from the Pyrenees

Alejandro Lopez-de Sancha, Romero Roig, Iara Jimenez, Anna Vila-Gispert, Helena Guasch

Summary: Climate change, damming, and metal pollution are significant anthropogenic threats to headwater streams. A case study demonstrates that these stressors have a significant impact on the ecosystem structure of headwater streams, leading to reduced biodiversity and increased biomass. This situation is expected to worsen in the context of climate change. Maintaining an appropriate ecological flow is crucial to mitigate these impacts.

INLAND WATERS (2022)

Article Environmental Sciences

Evaluating Multiple Stressor Effects on Benthic-Pelagic Freshwater Communities in Systems of Different Complexities: Challenges in Upscaling

Vinita Vijayaraj, Nora Kipferler, Herwig Stibor, Joey Allen, Franz Hoelker, Martin Laviale, Josephine Leflaive, Gregorio Alejandro Lopez Moreira Mazacotte, Bastian Herbert Polst, Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen, Sabine Hilt, Elisabeth Maria Gross

Summary: Upscaling from indoor microcosms to outdoor mesocosms is challenging due to the differences in water types and biodiversity, which may mask the stressor effects observed in controlled experiments.

WATER (2022)

Article Environmental Sciences

Contrary effects of flow intermittence and land uses on organic matter decomposition in a Mediterranean river basin

A. Viza, I Munoz, F. Oliva, M. Menendez

Summary: Flow interruption in intermittent rivers has a significant impact on the mosaic of terrestrial and aquatic habitats across river networks, particularly on processes such as organic matter decomposition. Water usage for farming in arid and semi-arid climates exacerbates dry conditions and affects the characteristics of local rivers. This study examines the effects of flow intermittence intensity and local environmental factors related to land use on organic matter processing, highlighting the importance of understanding this interaction in the context of global change.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2022)

Article Environmental Sciences

Community metabolomics provides insights into mechanisms of pollution-induced community tolerance of periphyton

Stefan Lips, Floriane Larras, Mechthild Schmitt-Jansen

Summary: This study aimed to explore the impact and mechanisms of chemical pollution on periphyton communities. Through community metabolomics analysis, it was found that pollution can enhance community tolerance and induce changes in the metabolic fingerprints of periphyton. However, induced tolerance was insufficient to maintain ecological functions such as primary production.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2022)

Article Biodiversity Conservation

Wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs influence the temporal variability of nutrient uptake in an intermittent stream

Sara Castelar, Susana Bernal, Miquel Ribot, Stephanie N. Merbt, Marta Tobella, Francesc Sabater, Jose L. J. Ledesma, Helena Guasch, Anna Lupon, Esperanca Gacia, Jennifer D. Drummond, Eugenia Marti

Summary: Intermittent Mediterranean streams receiving WWTP effluent inputs exhibit temporal and spatial variation in net nutrient uptake. Consideration of the receiving stream's dilution capacity is crucial for managing wastewater inputs and preventing saturation of in-stream nutrient uptake capacity under low flow conditions in urban landscapes.

URBAN ECOSYSTEMS (2022)

Article Zoology

Trophic competition in a guild of insectivorous semi-aquatic vertebrates in a Pyrenean headwater stream: diet specialisation in the endangered Galemys pyrenaicus

Alejandro Lopez-de Sancha, Romero Roig, Pere Aymerich, Anna Vila-Gispert, Helena Guasch

Summary: Conservation of vulnerable species in headwater streams requires good understanding of their resource use and competition with other species. This study found that the Pyrénéan desman exhibits dietary specialization and faces interspecific trophic competition with other predatory species in the stream. Additionally, anthropogenic stressors such as damming can reduce the food availability for the desman and affect habitat quality and population size.

MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY (2022)

Article Biodiversity Conservation

Drying niches of aquatic macroinvertebrates identify potential biomonitoring indicators in intermittent and ephemeral streams

Rebeca Arias-Real, Cayetano Gutierrez-Canovas, Margarita Menendez, Isabel Munoz

Summary: This study investigates the drying preferences of macroinvertebrates in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) and their potential as biomonitoring indicators. The research identifies certain macroinvertebrate groups with drying-resistant niches that can serve as potential indicators in IRES. However, functional traits have limited ability to predict drying specialization. The density, relative abundance, and richness of drying-resistant taxa are less affected by drying intensity compared to drying-sensitive taxa.

ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS (2022)

Article Environmental Sciences

Drying shapes the ecological niche of aquatic fungi with implications on ecosystem functioning

Rebeca Arias-Real, Margarita Menendez, Isabel Munoz, Claudia Pascoal

Summary: Fungi in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams have different strategies and adaptations to cope with drying, but these adaptations may have trade-offs that affect ecosystem functioning. This study found that drying duration and frequency were the most influential variables in determining fungal species differentiation. The research also identified four drying niche-based groups with different responses to drying. Furthermore, the study showed that species in the drying specialist group had a weak contribution to ecosystem processes, indicating trade-offs between drying resistance and growth energy.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (2023)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

A critical review of biodegradable plastic mulch films in agriculture: Definitions, scientific background and potential impacts

Claudia Campanale, Silvia Galafassi, Francesca Di Pippo, Iulian Pojar, Carmine Massarelli, Vito Felice Uricchio

Summary: Biodegradable plastic mulches (BDMs) have the potential to be an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic mulches in agriculture. However, their long-term impacts on soil ecosystems are still uncertain, and further research is needed. Incorporating BDMs into the soil may stimulate microbial activity, but there is also a risk of incomplete degradation and release of residual microplastics and additives.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Performance enhancement of the lateral flow immunoassay by use of composite nanoparticles as signal labels

Xuechi Yin, Sijie Liu, Deepak Kukkar, Jianlong Wang, Daohong Zhang, Ki-Hyun Kim

Summary: The lateral flow immunoassay strip is a classic and dominant tool in point-of-care detection, known for its portability and simplicity. However, current colored nanomaterials used as signal labels in LFIA have limited sensing potential, leading to the recognition of composite nanoparticles as alternatives to enhance sensitivity, signal readout diversity, anti-matrix interference, and cost-effectiveness.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Anthropocene airborne microfibers: Physicochemical characteristics, identification methods and health impacts

Yaxin Cao, Longyi Shao, Timothy P. Jones, Wenjing Deng, M. Santosh, Pengju Liu, Cheng-Xue Yang, Yaowei Li, Daizhou Zhang, Kelly Berube

Summary: The toxicity of fibrous particles in ambient air can be higher than other types of particles. Microfibers can be organic or inorganic and their presence in the atmosphere as a result of human activity raises concerns for environmental and public health. Accurate collection, identification, and understanding of the health hazards associated with these fibers are crucial for mitigation strategies and protection of public health.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Progress in research on smartphone-assisted MIP optosensors for the on-site detection of food hazard factors

Chenchen Xie, Chen Meng, Huilin Liu, Baoguo Sun

Summary: The development of food hazard factor (FHF) detection has been moving towards on-site inspection and mobile law enforcement, calling for simple, fast, and affordable analysis technology to ensure food safety and quality. This review comprehensively summarizes the progress in research on smartphone-assisted MIP optosensors, focusing on the key issues of accuracy and sensitivity.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Miniaturization as a smart strategy to achieve greener sample preparation approaches: A view through greenness assessment

Guillem Peris-Pastor, Cristian Azorin, Jose Grau, Juan L. Benede, Alberto Chisvert

Summary: Green Analytical Chemistry plays an important role in every stage of method development, including sample preparation. Extraction techniques have evolved from conventional ones to a variety of miniaturized techniques in order to enhance analytical performance and ensure safety for operators and the environment. Green metric tools are used to evaluate the impact and sustainability of methods, with AGREEprep selected as the most suitable tool for evaluating published methods in various applications. The miniaturization of sample preparation strategies has led to the use of less and safer solvents, reduced waste generation and energy consumption, and improved portability and throughput.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Offline preparative separation methods based on electromigration: An overview and current trends

Helena Hruskova, Roman Reminek, Frantisek Foret

Summary: This review article summarizes the progress and recent studies in offline electromigration preparative techniques between 2018 and 2023. It covers various techniques including electrophoresis, free-flow electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, and isotachophoresis, providing theoretical aspects, trends, and solutions to existing limitations in each technique.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Strategies to remove templates from molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for biosensors

Mayank Garg, Nicole Pamme

Summary: This review focuses on the removal strategies of templates from molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) used in diagnostic biosensors. Chemical-based and electrochemical-based template extraction approaches are summarized and evaluated, providing guidance for researchers in the fields of analytical chemistry, diagnostics, and materials science for the design of MIP-based sensors.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Passive breathomics for ultrasensitive characterization of acute and chronic respiratory diseases using electrochemical transduction mechanism

Ivneet Banga, Anirban Paul, Nathan Kodjo Mintah Churcher, Ruchita Mahesh Kumar, Sriram Muthukumar, Shalini Prasad

Summary: Breathomics is an emerging field that focuses on analyzing exhaled breath to diagnose and monitor respiratory diseases. Electrochemical sensors, with their high sensitivity, selectivity, and low cost, play a significant role in breathomics and can be integrated into portable devices for point-of-care diagnosis.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Elemental analysis of particulate matter by X-ray fluorescence methods: A green approach to air quality monitoring

Fabjola Bilo, Paola Cirelli, Laura Borgese

Summary: This review explores the application of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry for elemental analysis of particulate matter (PM) in air quality monitoring. It discusses the fundamentals of XRF, experimental configurations, PM sampling devices and substrate, sample preparation strategies, qualitative and quantitative analysis, as well as the challenges faced by XRF in becoming a reliable analytical technique for PM analysis.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Advancements in overcoming challenges in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction: An overview of advanced strategies

Hakim Faraji

Summary: The dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) technique is widely popular in analytical chemistry due to its high efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and simplicity. Recent advancements have addressed the limitations of DLLME, incorporating greener solvents, innovative dispersion strategies, and simplified procedures. These changes have made DLLME a more sustainable and efficient technique.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Metal organic framework-derived carbon nanomaterials and MOF hybrids for chemical sensing

Sherin F. Hammad, Inas A. Abdallah, Alaa Bedair, Reda M. Abdelhameed, Marcello Locatelli, Fotouh R. Mansour

Summary: Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) have excellent capabilities in terms of adsorption, enhanced oxidation, and photocatalysis, attracting widespread attention in different fields. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely used due to their regular network structure, porous nature, and large specific surface area. However, the instability of MOFs in aqueous solutions limits their applications in chemical sensing. Recent studies have focused on increasing the stability of MOFs in water-based matrices through chemical modifications using CNMs.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Dielectric barrier discharge in mass spectrometry - An overview over plasma investigations and ion sources applications

Alexandra Pape, Oliver J. Schmitz

Summary: Low temperature plasmas based on dielectric barrier discharges have emerged as a recent development in ion source research. These ion sources are applicable to heat-sensitive analytes and can ionize a wide range of compounds. Despite intensive research on important parameters such as configuration, shape, size, and materials in the past two decades, the actual ionization mechanism for all plasma gases has not been fully elucidated. This review provides an overview of atmospheric pressure ion sources, with a focus on plasma and dielectric barrier discharge based ion sources, summarizing the reactions occurring in the plasma and discussing the applications developed by different research groups.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Recent and emerging trends of DNA/RNA hybridized COF nanoprobes for analytes detection and biomarkers imaging in clinical biomedicines

Hai Xiong, Fengli Li, Linyu Zeng, Qiyu Lei

Summary: This review provides an overview of the emerging trends in the use of functional COF nanomaterials as biosensors for DNA/RNA detection. It summarizes the construction of DNA/RNA hybridized COF nanoprobes and their potential applications in bioanalyte detection, biosensing, biomarker imaging, and clinical biomedicine.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Multiple luminescence responsive chemical sensing of lanthanide functionalized metal-organic frameworks hybrids for logic gate operation application to construct intelligent detecting platform

Bing Yan

Summary: This article summarizes the recent progress in logic gate computing and operation based on multiple luminescence response and chemical sensing for lanthanide functionalized MOF hybrid systems. The article first describes multi-color luminescence and the subsequent multiple luminescence response. The basic concept of logic gate operation and the advantages of lanthanide-based hybrid materials are then introduced. Reports on logic gate operation using pure lanthanide MOFs are provided, followed by a detailed summary of logic gate operations using lanthanide functionalized MOF hybrid materials. Additionally, the article discusses the practical luminescent detection of analytes by correlating the luminescence responsive signals and the concentration of different analytes. Finally, the article concludes with a prospect for this topic.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)

Review Chemistry, Analytical

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs): Multifunctional material on analytical monitoring

Brij Mohan, Gurjaspreet Singh, Rakesh Kumar Gupta, Pawan Kumar Sharma, Alexander A. Solovev, Armando J. L. Pombeiro, Peng Ren

Summary: Porous materials, particularly hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), have gained significant attention due to their versatile applications and unique properties such as well-defined crystalline structure and easy regeneration processes. This article provides a comprehensive overview of HOFs, including synthesis methods, hydrogen bonding motifs, recent advancements, and potential applications, offering valuable guidance for further exploration in this dynamic field.

TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (2024)