Addressing chemical pollution in biodiversity research

• Published in: Global change biology Vol. 29; no. 12; pp. 3240 - 3255
• Main Authors: Sigmund, Gabriel, Ågerstrand, Marlene, Antonelli, Alexandre, Backhaus, Thomas, Brodin, Tomas, Diamond, Miriam L., Erdelen, Walter R., Evers, David C., Hofmann, Thilo, Hueffer, Thorsten, Lai, Adelene, Torres, Joao P. M., Mueller, Leonie, Perrigo, Allison L., Rillig, Matthias C., Schaeffer, Andreas, Scheringer, Martin, Schirmer, Kristin, Tlili, Ahmed, Soehl, Anna, Triebskorn, Rita, Vlahos, Penny, vom Berg, Colette, Wang, Zhanyun, Groh, Ksenia J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-06-2023
• Subjects: Agricultural Biotechnology; Agricultural Sciences; Anthropogenic factors; Biodiversity; Biodiversity & Conservation; Biodiversity loss; Bioteknologi med applikationer på växter och djur; Chemical contamination; Chemical pollution; Climate Change; Climate change research; combined stressor; conceptual-framework; Conservation of Natural Resources; Earth and Related Environmental Sciences; Ecologists; Ecology; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Ecotoxicology; Environmental chemistry; Environmental Pollution; Environmental protection; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Sciences & Ecology; food webs; Geochemistry; Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap; Human influences; Lantbruksvetenskap och veterinärmedicin; mercury; Miljövetenskap; Mitigation; neonicotinoids; persistent organic pollutants; pesticides; Plant Biotechnology; Pollution effects; Protection; toxicity; vulture population declines; Växtbioteknologi; biodiversity loss; ecology; chemical pollution; combined stressor; ecotoxicology
• ISSN: 1354-1013; 1365-2486; 1365-2486
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16689

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and chemical pollution are planetary‐scale emergencies requiring urgent mitigation actions. As these “triple crises” are deeply interlinked, they need to be tackled in an integrative manner. However, while climate change and biodiversity are often studied together, chemical pollution as a global change factor contributing to worldwide biodiversity loss has received much less attention in biodiversity research so far. Here, we review evidence showing that the multifaceted effects of anthropogenic chemicals in the environment are posing a growing threat to biodiversity and ecosystems. Therefore, failure to account for pollution effects may significantly undermine the success of biodiversity protection efforts. We argue that progress in understanding and counteracting the negative impact of chemical pollution on biodiversity requires collective efforts of scientists from different disciplines, including but not limited to ecology, ecotoxicology, and environmental chemistry. Importantly, recent developments in these fields have now enabled comprehensive studies that could efficiently address the manifold interactions between chemicals and ecosystems. Based on their experience with intricate studies of biodiversity, ecologists are well equipped to embrace the additional challenge of chemical complexity through interdisciplinary collaborations. This offers a unique opportunity to jointly advance a seminal frontier in pollution ecology and facilitate the development of innovative solutions for environmental protection.
Chemical pollution has so far received insufficient attention in biodiversity research, despite being recognized as a significant driver behind biodiversity loss. Here, we provide an illustrative overview of chemical effects on biodiversity and ecosystems and argue that progress in mitigation of biodiversity loss requires concerted efforts by scientists across different disciplines. Recent methodological developments in ecology, ecotoxicology, and environmental chemistry have now enabled in‐depth studies of pollution effects on biodiversity, offering promising research avenues to jointly advance both theory and practice in understanding and counteracting worldwide loss of biodiversity.