Department of Molecular Ecology, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; LOEWE Centre of Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Georg-Voigt-Str. 14-16, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Department of Evolutionary Ecology & Environmental Toxicology (E3T), Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Faculty 15 Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 15;951:175597. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175597. Epub 2024 Aug 17.
The presence of tyre and road wear particles (TRWP) in the environment is an underestimated threat due to their potential impact on ecosystems and human health. However, their mode of action and potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems remain largely unknown. In the present study, we adopted a sediment exposure scenario to investigate the influence of sediment coming from an urban runoff sedimentation basin on the life cycle of Chironomus riparius. Targeted broad-spectrum chemical analysis helped to characterise the urban sediments and confirmed the significant contribution of contaminants from traffic (e.g. tyre wear contribution, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons [PAHs], metals, tyre rubber additives). First-stage chironomid larvae were subjected to increasing concentrations of urban whole sediment. The results showed that exposure to this urban sediment influenced all measured endpoints. In vivo quantification of ROS showed that larvae exposed to the lowest concentration of contaminated sediment exhibited increased fluorescence. The contaminated sediment conditions increased mortality by almost 30 %, but this effect was surprisingly not concentration-dependent. Fertility decreased significantly and concentration-dependently. The results of the Mean Emergence Time (EmT50) and larval size showed an optimality curve. Furthermore, as a consequence of the effects on fitness, the Population Growth Rate (PGR) exhibited a significant decrease, which was concentration-dependent. Therefore, after a single generation, PGR calculation can be adopted as a sensitive tool to monitor pollution caused by complex matrices, i.e. composed of several contaminants. Our research highlights the importance of effective management of road runoff and underlines the need for further investigation to better understand the toxicity of TRWPs.
轮胎和道路磨损颗粒（TRWP）在环境中的存在是一个被低估的威胁，因为它们可能对生态系统和人类健康造成影响。然而，它们的作用方式和对水生生态系统的潜在影响在很大程度上仍然未知。在本研究中，我们采用了沉积物暴露的情景来研究来自城市径流沉降盆地的沉积物对摇蚊生命周期的影响。靶向的广谱化学分析有助于表征城市沉积物，并证实了交通污染物（如轮胎磨损物、多环芳烃（PAHs）、金属、轮胎橡胶添加剂）的显著贡献。第一阶段的摇蚊幼虫暴露于不断增加浓度的城市全沉积物中。结果表明，暴露于这种城市沉积物会影响所有测量的终点。体内 ROS 的定量显示，暴露于最低浓度污染沉积物的幼虫表现出荧光增加。污染沉积物条件使死亡率增加了近 30%，但这种影响并非浓度依赖性的。生育率显著下降且与浓度呈负相关。平均出现时间（EmT50）和幼虫大小的结果显示出优化曲线。此外，由于对适应性的影响，种群增长率（PGR）表现出显著下降，且与浓度呈正相关。因此，经过一代后，PGR 计算可以作为监测由复杂基质引起的污染的敏感工具，即由多种污染物组成的基质。我们的研究强调了有效管理道路径流的重要性，并强调需要进一步调查以更好地理解 TRWP 的毒性。
