Pollutant exposure can trigger rapid evolutionary changes in aquatic insects. In this blog post, Nina shares insights from a multigeneration experiment on how evolution can influence the effects of pollutants on the aquatic insect Chironomus riparius.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Research
PIA: How exposed are insects in agricultural fields to pesticides?
A Master thesis opportunity to assess terrestrial insect exposure to currently used agricultural pesticides is being offered as part of the project PIA (Pesticide exposure of insects in agricultural landscapes) within the Community Ecology & Ecotoxicology research group.
Continue readingPesticide Toxicity is Rising — And It’s Putting the UN’s 2030 Biodiversity Goal at Risk
In this post, Jakob Wolfram and Ralf Schulz talk about their recent study published in Science, uncovering that the total applied toxicity of pesticides is rising, thus threatening the UN Biodiversity goal (COP15) of reducing pesticide risks globally by 50%.
Continue readingNew study reveals pesticide cocktail contamination in European apples
A new study by the European Pesticide Action Network (PAN Europe) assessing pesticide contamination in apples across Europe reveals that 85% of sampled apples contained several pesticide residues, with some apples showing traces of up to 7 different chemicals.
Continue readingBelgian Conference on Ecotoxicology (BCE) 2026
The Belgian Conference in Ecotoxicology (BCE 2026) is pleased to announce its first edition, taking place at the University of Mons (UMONS), Belgium, from 28 to 30 October 2026.
Continue readingNew study links low-dose chlorpyrifos concentrations with effects on aging in wild fish
A 2026 study by researchers from China and the US has linked chronic low-dose chlorpyrifos exposure to accelerated telomere shortening and aging in wild lake fish.
Continue readingFXMATE: Statistical Evaluation of Ecotoxicity Effects MAde Totally Easy
In this post, Landau alumni Jochen Zubrod talks about FXMATE, their new open-access tool developed to make ecotoxicity data analysis more transparent and reproducible through an intuitive and standardized statistical workflow.
Continue readingUncovering the impact of antimicrobials on the gut microbiome of invertebrates
A new study examining the effects of an antibiotic, a fungicide, and their mixture on the gut microbiome of Gammarus fossarum found that the antimicrobial exposure altered the relative abundance of bacterial classes within the gut microbiome, with effect directions depending on the type of antimicrobial used.
Continue readingTotal Applied Toxicity reveals 15 years of change in pesticide pressure across France
A new study investigating temporal and spatial trends in pesticide pressure in France over 15 years (2008 to 2022) using the Total Applied Toxicity (TAT) highlights the importance of TAT for evaluating pesticide pressure and identifying areas for mitigation strategies, while also noting the impact of recent regulatory actions.
Continue readingToo many chemicals, too little assessment: Current status of global chemical pollution
A new extensive review article assessing the state of global chemical pollution highlights the challenges for global chemical assessment, regulation and management systems.