In this post, Ralf B. Schäfer talks about their recently published book chapter “Ecotoxicology” in the open access book “Riverine Ecosystem Management”.

Rivers and streams are threatened ecosystems (photo: Colourbox.de)

Rivers and streams are among the most threatened ecosystems. In Germany, almost 95% of rivers and streams do not meet the good ecological status required by the Water Framework Directive. The new book “Riverine Ecosystem Management” edited by Stefan Schmutz und Jan Sendzimir reviews the different stressors that affect freshwater ecosystems and provides information on how to manage these stressors. Topics include hydrology, morphology, sediments and climate change.

The chapter on “Ecotoxicology” co-authored with Mirco Bundschuh discusses the role of chemicals in river ecosystems. We provide an overview of different chemical groups that impact these ecosystems, discussing the impacts across different levels of biological organisation, the relative importance of chemicals in comparison to other stressors, as well as methods to predict chemical impacts and mitigation measures.

Our chapter and all other chapters of the book “Riverine Ecosystem Management” are open access and can be freely downloaded here.