Evaluation of Pesticides on Detritus-Inhabiting and Root-Associated Fungi in Aquatic Habitats and Potential Implications
Pesticide contamination of aquatic ecosystems poses a significant threat to humans and can adversely affect fungal-driven processes in these understudied habitats. Here, we investigated the effects of four pesticides on detritus-inhabiting and plant root-associated fungi from streams, peatlands, and saltwater marshes. Additionally, we assessed the isolates’ capacities to degrade three carbon sources to understand the impact of pesticides on fungal-driven processes. Pesticide assays were conducted in 96-well glass-coated plates, with fungal growth measured using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer set to 595 nm. Assays included technical replication (n = 6), replication over time (n = 2), negative controls, and carry-over controls. In total, we assayed more than 153 isolates, representing up to 97 fungal genera. Results showed that 1.9%, 49.7%, 3.1%, and 5.6% of the isolates exhibited consistently lower growth when exposed to atrazine, mancozeb, cypermethrin, and malathion, respectively. Furthermore, 101 isolates, comprising 87 genera, were tested for cellulase, starch degradation, and tannase activity, with 41.6%, 28.7%, and 30.7% of the isolates testing positive, respectively. These findings suggest that while many species demonstrate functional redundancy, some fungal species are sensitive to current environmental pesticide levels, which affects their growth and may have broader implications on ecosystem health.
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- Analytical Chemistry
- 4606 Distributed computing and systems software
- 4104 Environmental management
- 4009 Electronics, sensors and digital hardware
- 4008 Electrical engineering
- 3103 Ecology
- 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- 0805 Distributed Computing
- 0602 Ecology
- 0502 Environmental Science and Management
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Related Subject Headings
- Analytical Chemistry
- 4606 Distributed computing and systems software
- 4104 Environmental management
- 4009 Electronics, sensors and digital hardware
- 4008 Electrical engineering
- 3103 Ecology
- 0906 Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- 0805 Distributed Computing
- 0602 Ecology
- 0502 Environmental Science and Management