Germany still lacks a nationwide and standardised survey of soil organisms, although a comprehensive infrastructure for such a survey is available with approx. 800 permanent soil monitoring sites (Bodendauerbeobachtungsflächen, BDF). At present, not all federal states perform biodiversity surveys on their permanent soil monitoring sites. This is most likely due to the fact that the […]
The environmental risk of pesticides for nontarget soil macroorganisms has mainly been assessed using the compost earthworm Eisenia fetida. However, E. fetida does not occur in agroecosystems and it is generally less sensitive than other earthworm species. Thus, the extrapolation of its response to pesticides to other earthworm species may lead to uncertainties in the […]
A tremendous effort has been invested in soil monitoring in Europe, at country- as well as EU-level. However, there is so far no comprehensive and updated state of knowledge to identify healthy soils and those requiring protection. For the last few years, the European Topic Centre on Urban Land and Soil Systems (ETC/ULS) has followed […]
The decomposition of organic matter is a key microbiological function in soil. A soil is healthy when organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling are intact. Against this background, a laboratory-based method was developed for quantitative evaluation of microbial decomposition of organic matter in contaminated soil. This method is based on the quantification of the ability […]
Standard laboratory tests to evaluate the effects of stressors (in most cases chemicals) on soil organisms offer a good compromise between feasibility and outcome, i.e. they should be reproducible and provide robust results. However, these tests may underestimate potential effects of prolonged exposures, particularly for persistent contaminants. In the last years, there was an increase […]
Organic matter decomposition is a key soil microbiological function. Intact organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling indicate that a soil is healthy. In view of these facts, a laboratory-based method has been developed to quantitatively evaluate this process. The ability of soil micro-organisms to decompose filter paper (lignin cellulosic material) as a standard organic material […]
As acknowledged by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) soil microorganisms play a key role in ecosystem functioning and there is a lack of appropriate methods to assess impacts on them. ARISTO, the European Industry-Academia Network for Revising and Advancing the Assessment of the Soil Microbial Toxicity of Pesticides, started in 2021 and addresses this […]
The European Commission has imposed a stringent regulatory scheme for pesticide authorisation, which includes an assessment of potential risks for aquatic organisms and terrestrial macro-organisms. However, the assessment of the toxicity of pesticides on soil microorganisms relies on a protocol that does not identify effects on key microbial functions and on microbial diversity. As acknowledged […]
The activity of microorganisms in soil is important for a robust functioning of soil and related ecosystem services. There is a necessity to identify the composition, diversity, and function of the soil microbiome to evaluate its properties and functioning and to assess ecotoxicological effects due to anthropogenic activities. Although numerous microbiological methods exist or are […]
The ecotoxicological characterisation of waste according to the European Waste List (HP14) is part of its hazard classification, which is based on 15 different hazardous properties and should include toxicity tests representing the aquatic and terrestrial compartment. Besides established soil toxicity tests with bacteria, plants, and earthworms, the standardised test with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans […]
K. Duis
D. Leib
K. Duis
K. Duis
D. Leib
K. Duis
K. Duis
S. Höss