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16th SETAC GLB (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry German LanguageBranch) Annual meeting held under the main theme “EcoTOXICOlogy andEnvironmental CHEMISTRY: crossing borders” from 18th to 20th September2011 at Landau

Abstract

This report provides a brief review of the 16th annual meeting ofthe German Language Branch of the Society of Environmental Toxicology andChemistry (SETAC GLB) held from September 18th to 20th 2011 at theUniversity Koblenz-Landau at Campus Landau. The event was organized byCarsten Brühl and Ralf B. Schäfer and many members and students ofthe Institute for Environmental Sciences under the main theme“EcoTOXICOlogy and Environmental CHEMISTRY: Crossing borders”.Almost 300 participants enjoyed the scientific program that included 54 oraland 70 poster presentations under seven session themes. In addition, fourinvited keynote speakers and a plenary discussion on biodiversity withrepresentatives from government, academia and industry provided newinsights. The best oral and poster presentations of the meeting were awardedtogether with the annual young scientist award of SETAC GLB for the bestdiploma and doctoral thesis. The proceedings of the meeting (mostly inGerman) including the program and all abstracts is freely available asSupplemental Material.

Zusammenfassung

Dieser Bericht gibt einen kurzen Rückblick auf die 16. Jahrestagung derDeutschsprachigen Abteilung der Society of Environmental Toxicology andChemistry (SETAC GLB) vom 18. bis 20. September 2011 an der UniversitätKoblenz-Landau am Campus Landau.

Die Tagung wurde hauptverantwortlich durch Carsten Brühl und Ralf B.Schäfer mit Unterstützung von zahlreichen Mitarbeitern undStudierenden des Instituts für Umweltwissenschaften unter demHauptthema “: Grenzen überwinden Ökotoxikologie undUmweltchemie” organisiert.

Fast 300 Teilnehmer genossen das wissenschaftliche Programms das 54Vorträge und 70 Posterbeiträge in sieben Sessions beinhaltete.Darüber hinaus lieferten vier eingeladenen Hauptredner und einePodiumsdiskussion zur Biodiversität mit Vertretern aus Behörden,Wissenschaft und Industrie neue Erkenntnisse. Die besten Vorträge undPosterbeiträge der Tagung wurden zusammen mit dem jährlichen YoungScientist Award der SETAC GLB für die beste Diplom-und Doktorarbeitausgezeichnet. Das Tagungsprogramm mit den Kurzzusammenfassungen ist alsergänzendes Material frei verfügbar.

Review

The 16th annual meeting of the German Language Branch of the Society ofEnvironmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC GLB) was held from 18th to 20th ofSeptember 2011 at the University Koblenz-Landau at the Campus Landau. The reader ofthe meeting (mostly in German) including the program and all abstracts is freelyavailable as Additional file 1 of this article. The eventwas organized by Carsten Brühl and Ralf B. Schäfer and many helpers of theInstitute for Environmental Sciences(http://www.uni-koblenz-landau.de/landau/fb7/umweltwissenschaften)under the main theme “EcoTOXICOlogy and Environmental CHEMISTRY: Crossingborders”.

The annual meeting coincided with the celebration of the 10th anniversaryof the Institute for Environmental Sciences. Starting with only one professor andtwo academic staff positions the institute has developed very successfully and nowencompasses ten full professors and more than 90 scientific and technical staffmembers. Moreover, the ecotoxicological orientation of the institute is indicated bythe English taught master course in Ecotoxicology targeting an internationalaudience (http://www.master-ecotoxicology.de). After 2006 this was thesecond time that the SETAC GLB conference was held in Landau and the remarkabledevelopment of the Institute could be witnessed by many recurring participants. Themeeting program started with excursions to the ecotoxicological laboratories of BASForganised by Peter Dohmen and a guided tour by Peter Keller to the natureconservation project “Wässerwiesen” in the vicinity of Landau

After welcoming words of the host of the institute Andreas Lorke the meeting wasofficially opened by the president of the SETAC GLB Eric Bruns and the organisers.The keynote speech was given by Klaus Töpfer, the former Executive Director ofthe United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and former Minister of theEnvironment of Germany. Klaus Töpfer described the developments in themanagement of chemicals in the last decades. The audience gained deeper insightsinto the political debates and negotiations surrounding the Stockholm Convention onpersistent organic pollutants as well as the United Nations Framework Convention onClimate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, both originating from theEarth Summit in Rio de Janeiro 1992. The talk highlighted the need for a soilconvention as this compartment would be largely neglected. Furthermore, KlausTöpfer was pessimistic about progress in climate change negotiations due to thecurrent political discourse focusing primarily on the mediation of the on-goingeconomic crisis.

At the following Get Together the participants enjoyed homemade local foods and thefinest wines from the region sourced from the Best of Riesling competition donatedby Agroscience RLP GmbH. During the evening Alexandra Lehmler and her quartetproduced relaxed jazz and created a joyful atmosphere. Additionally, theentertaining program of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Institutefor Environmental Sciences could be enjoyed, including the improvisation theatreSubito.

The social program continued on Monday with a meeting banquet in the nocturnalzoological garden of Landau that is situated in close proximity to the university,surrounded by gnus and wallabies. Some participants also enjoyed a personal tourthrough the zoo led by the director Jens-Ove Heckel. The dinner was musicallyaccompanied by the band Happy Three with their great organ sounds and ended withspectacular fireworks from the Landau Autumn Fair. For those that felt the night isstill young the party continued with dancing into the morning hours in the ClubLogo.

The scientific program was at least equally exciting as the social program andfeatured seven sessions that ranged from classical to new topics: TerrestrialEcotoxicology, Nanomaterials in the Environment, Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Soils,Sediments and Exposure Scenarios, Risk Assessment and Management of Chemicals,Factors influencing agricultural Biodiversity and Bioaccumulation and Metabolism. Inthe following we provide a brief summary of all sessions.

Session 1Terrestrial ecotoxicology

On Monday the session program started with Terrestrial Ecotoxicology chaired byMarco Candolfi where the influence of climatic stressors on pesticide effects onsoil organisms, herbicide impacts on earthworms and reptiles in risk assessmentwere presented and discussed. Climatic stress factors, such as soil moisture andtemperature, were shown to modify the reaction towards two insecticides when twoCollembola species were tested under laboratory conditions (Karau et al.). Thepotential effects of climate change, pesticide use and a change in soil moisturecontent was evaluated in a mesocosm set up (Bandow et al.) and infield-collected samples (Lorenz et al.). Soil property preferences for standardsoil test organisms were studied to potentially optimize existing test systems(Märker et al.). Körner derived data from the literature to comparethe risk assessment for birds and reptiles, which so far is not required. Heconcluded that for a specific compound the risk of reptiles was covered by theprocedure in place for birds. The ecological risk for earthworms in theherbicide management strategies for sugar beet was demonstrated to be low in adetailed modelling approach by Marwitz & Ladewig.

Session 2Nanomaterials in the environment

Due to their large and still increasing industrial, agricultural and medicalapplications, engineered nanoparticles (ENP) are expected to enter theenvironment via various pathways. Despite their increasing release, theprocesses governing ENP aging and functioning in the environment and theireffects on organisms are up to now largely unknown. The session Nanomaterials inthe Environment was chaired by Gabriele Schaumann and Toni Ratte and consistedof talks regarding the interaction of nanoparticles with surfaces in theenvironment and with various aspects of ecotoxicity. The presentation ofSchauman et al. gave an overview on various modes of interaction between ENP andbiological and environmental surfaces of aquatic systems. Sorption of ENPs fromstable suspensions depends on intermolecular NP-surface interactions, butaggregation controls deposition and therefore toxicity effects under unstableconditions. Control of ENP stability characteristics in ecotoxicological testsystems and approach to natural conditions is recommended. Seitz et al.developed a flow system to overcome the problem of instable suspensions in thetest system and showed that no chronic effects of TiO2 nanoparticles inconcentrations between 0.02 to 2.0 mg/L were observed in Daphniamagna. Rosenfeldt et al. demonstrated combination effects of TiO2nanoparticles on toxicity of heavy metals to Daphnia magna. They foundboth the tendency of enhancement and a significant depression of toxicity,depending on the type of investigated heavy metal. Ciliates were found to reactabove a NOEC of 30 mg/L on silver nanoparticles (Leps et al.), whiletoxicity of iron oxide nanoparticles was shown on Daphnia (Baumann etal.) and on nematodes (Höss et al.), with an EC of65–470 μmol Fe/L for nematodes. These two studies demonstratedthat interactions with water constituents like phosphate (Höss et al.) aswell as synthesis residues (Baumann et al.) can significantly modify toxicity ofthe iron oxide nanoparticles.

Session 3Aquatic ecotoxicology

Aquatic Ecotoxicology was the largest session running continuously from Monday toTuesday. On Monday morning the session was chaired by Eric Bruns and LennartWeltje and started with a presentation on the predator–prey relationshipbetween the amphipod Gammarus fossarum and larvae of the mayflyBaetis rhodani under thiacloprid stress, which impacted the insectmuch more than the amphipod (Englert et al.). This presentation was followed bya talk about a new test design that allows the assessment of combined effects(direct toxicity together with indirect food quality related effects) ofantimicrobial substances on shredders (again Gammarus fossarum), usingthe fungicide tebuconazole as a model stressor (Zubrod et al.). The work ofRybicki et al. used artificial indoor streams to study subsequent pulses of theherbicide terbutryne and the insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin; revealing not onlycomplex patterns, but also considerable variation in test system responses. Astudy investigating the impact of chemical stress on morphologically identicalbut genetically different Gammarus fossarum lineages (i.e. crypticspecies) revealed that difference in sensitivity are most likely explained bylineages (Feckler et al.). Some promising results of the application of theSPEAR (SPEciesAtRisk) concept to oil-contaminated streams in Canada with a focuson macroinvertebrates and PAHs were presented by Gerner & Liess. Wastewatertreatment options were studied in the “Strategy Micropoll” projectin which various biotests showed that water quality could be improved with theappropriate techniques (Kienle et al.).

The session continued chaired by Marco Vervliet Scheebaum and Silvia Mohr withfour presentations focused on the development of new macrophyte test systems andthe evaluation of suitable endpoints for use in risk assessment, whereas twofurther talks investigated the combined effects of several stress factors toDaphnia sp. and Chironomus sp. under laboratoryconditions. Test durations of 14 days in the water sediment test withMyriophyllum sp. may not be sufficient for some groups ofherbicides to see effects at low concentrations. Depending on the test item Artset al. proposed an extension of the test duration to 21 days. Dörenet al. showed that the leaf dimorphism developed by Myriophyllumaquaticum, when using emergent plant parts pre-adapted to submergedconditions or unadapted plants, may lead to changes in sensitivity towardsherbicides. The authors evaluated the impact of the phenomenon known as‘super growth event’ for an interpretation of results in such tests.Schott et al. presented evidence suggesting that in the risk assessment ofherbicides, an additional macrophyte test with Myriophyllum sp. isnecessary for auxin-type herbicides, while for acid synthesis inhibitors anadditional grass species such as Glyceria sp. might be required. Theoutcome of the sediment free sterile Myriophyllum spicatum 14d testusing a sucrose based medium was presented by Maletzki et al.. The test systemset-up and handling proofed to be feasible and showed little intra- andinter-laboratory differences. Scherer et al. investigated the effects of thefungicide pyrimethanil on Daphnia pulex by exposing them tocontaminated water, to contaminated food and via both routes of exposure (waterand food) simultaneously. By additionally varying temperature and predatorpressure (via potential kairomone activity) the authors presented the complexmatrix of effects observed on the Daphnia population in response to allstressors. In a two generation study with Chironomus riparius exposedto the insecticide pyriproxyfen, Tassou and Schulz demonstrated that changes intemperature had a negative effect on C. riparius but only in the F1generation. Multi-generation studies are recommended by the authors as a meansto deliver additional information for an evaluation of pesticide effects ifstandard conditions vary.

On Tuesday the session was chaired by Inge Werner and Frauke Stock and continuedwith molecular and biochemical tools in zebrafish embryos. Special emphasis wasgiven to the question of how biomarkers and gene expression in zebrafish couldbe used as indicators of chronic pollutant effects. Kais et al. showed that thequantification of EROD (ethoxyresorufin-o-deethylase) activity in embryos can beimproved by shortening the exposure duration. EROD activity has been widely usedas a measure of Ah (aryl-hydrocarbon) receptor activation and activity of P450monoxygenases including aromatase in liver tissue. Peddighaus et al.investigated the application of this biomarker in zebrafish embryos exposed tocontaminated sediments, and was able to measure an increase in EROD activitywith increasing sediment contamination. Gene expression analysis in transgenicfish cell lines using microarrays allowed the detection of endocrine disruptionand identification of effect pathways in zebrafish embryos (Fenske et al.).These techniques may allow the selection of promising marker genes, which couldbe used to measure chronic contaminant effects and identify causative substancesbased on their mechanisms of action. Vorberg et al. showed that individualchemicals elicited differential gene expression patterns at concentrations thatcorrespond to the lowest observed effect concentration in standard fish earlylife stage tests. Last but not least, Wigh et al. reported the results of astudy on the molecular basis of imposex in the snail species Nassariusreticulatus, following exposure to tributyltin. Results indicate thatactivation of the androgen receptor rather than the retinoid X receptor isinvolved in the development of this effect.

Session 4Soils, sediments and exposure scenarios

The session soils, sediments and exposure scenarios chaired by Henner Hollert andDominic Kaiser contained six platform presentations and seven posterpresentations, giving a comprehensive overview on recent developments in termsof new methodologies and case studies. Kathrin Eichbaum started with a talkaddressing dioxin like effects of sediments from the river Elbe and surroundingwetlands (Eichbaum et al.). The session continued with a presentation on uptakeand effects of particle bound polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) of spikedsediment suspensions in rainbow trout (Brinkmann et al.). Subsequently,Christian Staffa talked about volatilization of 14C marked lindanefrom soil and plant surfaces in a closed lab system (Staffa et al.). Theestimation and regional construction of the dimension of copper concentrationsin vineyard soils due to historical use of copper containing plant protectionproducts and the development of a methodology for a model region in Germany waspresented by Thomas et al.. After a talk on the dynamic of wetting properties ofsoils and their importance for environmental processes (Diehl et al.) the lastpresentation focussed on exposure scenarios for the use of veterinary drugs inaquacultures (Schlechtriem et al.).

Session 5Risk assessment and management of chemicals

The session on risk assessment and management of chemicals was chaired by PeterC. von der Ohe. In order to guarantee a safe use for human health and theenvironment, the registration of chemicals requires stringent risk assessments,which generally consist of separate exposure and hazard assessments. Guidance onthe use of existing data and certain scenarios in risk assessments are given inthe respective technical guidance documents (TGD), which differ for the variousDirectives. This hampers an integrated risk assessment of compounds that aresubmitted under different Directives or for various uses as Habekost et al.showed. For example, it is still unclear how aquatic higher tier studies foractive ingredients of PPP (Plant Protection Products) could be used for theregistration of biocides, some of which are presumed to have a continuous input,compared to the intermittent release of PPP. In order to reduce thisuncertainty, Habekost et al. suggested some aspects on how to use aquatic highertier studies for the derivation of PNECs PNECs (predicted no effectconcentration) under Directive 98/8/EC. Another aspect of risk assessment wasaddressed by Burkhardt et al. focusing on the cumulative exposure assessmentunder REACH. Single substances could generally be used by different producers orimporters and may also have various uses for the same producer, resulting inhigher exposure risks to the environment compared to single risk assessments.According to Burkhardt et al., this fact is only insufficiently addressed in thecurrent guidance documents. Therefore, guidance on how the cumulative riskscould be addressed is given by the Federal Environment Agency of German.

Despite their expected safe use, chemicals are frequently found in theenvironment at levels, which might be harmful for aquatic life. Hence, theEuropean Union has established a list of 33 priority substances, which areconsidered for the chemical status of streams and rivers. A study ofSchäfer et al. on 332 organic chemicals, measured between 1994 and 2004,revealed that especially several pesticides, which are not in the list ofpriority substances, were responsible for the predicted effects to aquatic biotain the four largest rivers of North Germany. Given that these compounds arecurrently not considered as priority substances in the European UnionSchäfer et al. discussed the relevance of these findings for a sustainablemanagement of river basins. Besides pesticides, other problematic compounds arereleased into the environment. One example is the personal care product(PCP)-ingredient triclosan, a multi-purpose biocide, which exceeded thesuggested environmental threshold at 76% of the sampling sites analysed in thestate of Saxony, Germany. Considering the world-wide application of PCPscontaining triclosan, von der Ohe et al. suggested its inclusion in routinemonitoring programs and the consideration as candidate for prioritization at theEuropean scale.

Another group of compounds that are potentially released via wastewater treatmentplants (WWTP) are fragrances. However, up to now, little is known about theirchemical identity, the use pattern or their potential toxic effects. Klaschka etal. analysed sixteen of the most used fragrances in wastewater, surface water,biosolids and biota in order to investigate their environmental fate. Onlygalaxolid (HHCB), OTNE and benzophenon were found in the receiving waters,whereas the other substances were eliminated within the WWTP. Besides, OTNE wasalso found in the muscle and bile of exposed fish. Therefore, Klaschka et al.raised the question of labelling these compounds in consumer products. Withregard to risk reduction measures for point sources, such as WWTP, Stang et al.showed that triclosan and its competitor triclocarban, as well as the fungicidesimazalil, thiabendazole and propiconazol were significantly reduced in vegetatedcompared to non-vegetated mesocosms. Therefore, it was suggested to usevegetated treatment systems to reduce the risk of organic pollutants to aquaticenvironments via point and non-point sources.

Session 6Factors influencing agricultural biodiversity

With biodiversity being a recognized legal protection goal under the new EUpesticide guidance the session chaired by Carsten Brühl covered a widevariety of subjects from aquatic to terrestrial off crop communities andpositions from industry and the authorities. Effects of insecticides wererecorded in the field in various streams and ranged from enhancing drift inmacroinvertebrates to the complete absence of specific species (Bereswil etal.). Biodiversity indicators were established from literature surveys for 12different European regions in conjunction with management indicators andsurrogate indicators were proposed with a focus on the relation between direct(species and habitat diversity) indicators and indirect (farm management)parameters (Herzog et al.). Sublethal effects on flowering were recorded in thecommon buttercup (Ranunculus acris) in a plant community study that wasexposed to realistic herbicide inputs in field margins (Schmitz &Brühl). Lower flower density is not only expected to reduce the seedproduction but is also likely to affect the frequency of pollinating insects andtherefore the biodiversity in field margins. Various masking effects that hinderthe detection of effects on aquatic biodiversity were explained by MatthiasLiess. The necessity for food production for a growing global community and itschallenges for biodiversity protection were discussed by Richard Schmuck from anindustry perspective. Jörn Wogram presented thoughts of the FederalEnvironment Agency of Germany (UBA) on the subject and outlined strategies onhow to achieve this ambitious goal.

Plenary discussion on biodiversity

This topic was taken up in a plenary discussion during the concluding ceremony onthe new protection goal of biodiversity in the pesticide registration processaccording to the EU Regulation 1107/ 2009. To guarantee a protection ofbiodiversity and only acceptable impacts of pesticides thereon it is importantto understand and define this protection goal. Therefore it is crucial toidentify relevant groups of organisms in different habitat types and deducemanageable endpoints for the registration process. These and other aspects werediscussed by Jörn Wogram (Fachgruppe Pflanzenschutzmittel,Umweltbundesamt), Matthias Liess (System-Ökotoxikologie, UFZ -Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung GmbH), Richard Schmuck (EnvironmentalSafety, Bayer Cropscience) and Tomas Brückmann (Pestizide undBiodiversität, BUND). The discussion was moderated by Marcus Bloser (IKU– Die Dialoggestalter). There was a general agreement among theparticipants of the discussion that pesticides have a negative impact on localbiodiversity in the agricultural landscape, although the extent of this impactwas discussed controversially. Richard Schmuck claimed a positive impact ofpesticides on global biodiversity based on a potential land sparing effect of anenhanced productivity. For a comprehensive impact evaluation, it seemsespecially important to include not only direct lethal effects in riskassessments but also to consider the various indirect effects that pesticidescan have on the food web and trophic structure in animal and plant communitiesin the agricultural landscape. Additionally landscape structure seems to play asignificant role and improvement of structural features might be a way tomediate negative impacts of pesticides on local biodiversity.

Session 7Bioaccumulation and metabolism

Bioaccumulation and metabolism was the theme of a session chaired by ChristianSchlechtriem and Philipp Egeler. In this session, studies for the furtherdevelopment of guidelines and tests which are used in the regulation ofpesticides and chemicals as well as work conducted to elaborate alternativeindicators of accumulation for field studies were presented.

A laboratory study at Gießen University (Böhm et al.) examined theinfluence of different methods of extraction on the determination ofconcentrations of the substance to be tested in water in the context ofbioconcentration tests. The results of the liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) andthe solid phase microextraction (SPME) in presence of different organicsubstances in the water phase were compared. The results will contribute animportant input to the current revision of the regulations regarding theprocedure of bioconcentration tests with fish (OECD 305). Göritz andco-workers examined the biomagnification of perfluorinated compounds (PFC) inrainbow trout. The study provides important evidence that high concentrations ofPFC as often observed in the tissue of fish in field studies can be explained ascaused by bioconcentration processes rather than the ingestion of food. Due tothe use of high numbers of vertebrate test animals (fish) in bioaccumulationstudies, the question for suitable alternative invertebrate organisms was posed.Josefine Gottwald presented results from a study about bioconcentration ofoctocrylen, an environmentally relevant UV-substance, in benthic invertebrates(Gottwald et al.). The assessment of the accumulation of pesticide residues fromfish food in aquaculture products is the topic of a new guideline, which isdeveloped under the direction of the Federal Office of Consumer Protection andFood Safety (Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit).Christian Schlechtriem presented pilot studies regarding the procedure of fishmetabolism studies conducted with rainbow trout and carp (Schlechtriem et al.).The results suggested that metabolism studies with fish can provide importantindication of the potential consumer’s risk of pesticide residues in fishfood. The influence of intestinal parasites in fish on the accumulation ofmetals was the topic of two contributions of the university Duisburg-Essen.Milen Nachev described the potential of fish parasites as accumulationindicators for metals and revealed that the metal concentrations in the parasite(Pomphorhynchus laevis) reflected the concentrations in theenvironment (Nachev et al.). The impact of intestinal parasites on the intake ofplatinum (Pt) by the European chub was examined by Nadine Ruchter. Her studyshowed that European chub infected with the parasite Pomphorhynchustereticollis had significantly lower Pt-concentrations in intestine andliver tissue than not infected chub (Ruchter et al.).

Keynote lectures

During the meeting three further keynote lectures were given on selected timelytopics in ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry. Martin Elsner (Institute ofGroundwater Ecology at the Helmholtz Centre in Munich) started with a plenarylecture on current challenges in isotope studies of environmental contaminants.He showed how multi-element isotope analysis and investigations can be used forthe determination of micropollutants as well as studies on the transformationand degradation of pollutants. The talk emphasised that such insights cannot begained from single isotope studies and displayed recent advances for applicationto pesticides, which have been rarely analysed in isotope monitoringstudies.

The second plenary lecture on a conceptual framework integrating ecology andecotoxicology was given by Dr Mark Gessner from the Leibniz Institute ofFreshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and the Berlin Institute ofTechnology (TU Berlin). Mark Gessner highlighted the widespread importance ofchemicals for the state of ecosystems but stressed that ecotoxicology has tomature to gain field-relevance. Here, ecological concepts could aid in makingecotoxicological predictions for natural ecosystems. In detail, Mark Gessnermentioned indirect effects of chemicals from inter- and intraspecificinteractions, also across multiple trophic levels in food webs and therelationship between toxicants and ecosystem functioning as central topics inneed of further consideration in ecotoxicological research.

The third lecture was given by Martin Entling from the Institute forEnvironmental Sciences of the University Koblenz-Landau. In this keynotelecture, Martin Entling outlined the interactions between agriculture andbiodiversity. While agriculture relies on ecosystem functions such aspollination and pest control, the industrialisation and land use change endangerthe provisioning of such services by the reduction of the related species.Fertilization, agricultural toxicants and habitat destruction have all lead to adecrease in agricultural biodiversity and are influencing the biodiversity inother landscapes as well. Martin Entling suggested that these factors should beconsidered when targeting to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services inagriculturally dominated landscapes.

Scientific awards

During the meeting the SETAC GLB young scientist awards was awarded. The bestPh.D. thesis was awarded to

Wibke Busch (UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research/ UniversityHalle-Wittenberg) for her work on the in vitro toxicity of technicalnanoparticles in vertebrate cells. Nadia Moos (University Basel/Alfred-WegenerInstitute Bremerhaven) and Michael Maier (University Bayreuth) were awarded fortheir diploma theses on the histopathological and cytochemical analysis ofingested polyethylene powder in the digestive gland of the blue mussel,Mytilus edulis (L.) and the evaluation of degradation kinetics andidentification of transformation products of pharmaceuticals using a sedimentwater test system, respectively.

To promote early career scientists and students, best poster and platformpresentation awards were presented based on the evaluation of three randomlydrawn reviewers from senior scientists. The best poster award of the SETACmeeting went to

Isabelle Zunker (Institute for Environmental Chemistry, University Lüneburg)for her work on the impact of fungicides on ectomycorrhiza and Lena Reiber(University Potsdam) who presented results on the influence of attachment toparticles of PBT (persistant-bioaccumulative-toxic) compounds on abioticdegradation processes. Also awarded was Martin Geisthardt (Institute forEnvironmental Science, University Koblenz-Landau) for his poster on effects ofdifferent herbicides on host plant quality for phytophagous insects.

The best platform presentation was awarded to:

Juliane Schmitz (Institute for Environmental Science, University Koblenz-Landau).She presented some results of her Ph.D. research in a talk on effects ofherbicide input in field margins on the common buttercup Ranunculusacris.

Renja Bereswill (Institute for Environmental Science, University Koblenz-Landau)was awarded for her presentation on effects of pesticide input on thecommunities in small streams in agricultural areas and Markus Brinkmann(Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen) on his talk on the uptakefrom sediment suspensions and effects of particle-bound polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons (PAHs) in rainbow trout. Finally Britta Kais (Aquatic Ecology andToxicology, University Heidelberg) received an award for the presentation of herstudy on ethoxyresorufin-O-deethlyase (EROD) as an early warning biomarker inthe embryo of the zebrafish Danio rerio.

The organisers of the meeting aimed for a climate neutral meeting and thereforethe carbon footprint of the event was calculated using theCO2EVENT-calculator of the GCB German Convention Bureau. Based on theparticipants, estimated distances travelled and typical CO2 emissionduring large events (building, catering, etc.) a total of 23.4 t of CO2were emitted and had to be compensated for. A calculated amount of 585 €was therefore given to the Katala foundation in the Philippines, where it isused in a reforestation and conservation project in Palawan that is running injoint cooperation with the Zoo Landau and city of Landau(http://www.philippinecockatoo.org). Additionally local foodsthat were also in some cases connected to local conservation organisations (e.g.pear juice from local mixed traditional orchards) were selected.

The organisers were very happy with the positive response of the participants whoenjoyed the exhaustive scientific and social program. A meeting is only as goodas its contributions and therefore it is a pleasure to thank all contributorsthat prepared oral and poster presentations which is always a challengingadditional task in the daily work load.

Acknowledgements

To organise, manage and finally host an event such as this meeting requires thecontribution of many people. This meeting was a true team effort, however wewould like to emphasise the contribution of a few people. Jone Kammerer andMelanie Hahn were always present in the meeting office and helped with theregistration process and book keeping. Therese Bürgi organised theinfrastructure for the social events and Iris Brandenburger prepared thedelicious food together with many students. Katahrina Peters managed the eveningdinner at the Zoo Landau where we also would like to thank Jens-Ove Heckel forthe great hospitality and support of his staff. Tobias Reich was in charge ofthe technical equipment and together with his team made sure that allpresentations ran smoothly and that the time lines were kept. Thanks are alsodue to the sponsors of this event, namely Syngenta, Ibacon, Knoell Group, SCC,RLP Agroscience, Umweltbundesamt, Ökotoxzentrum, symrise, BayerCropscience, BASF and the University of Koblenz-Landau for their support.Finally we want to thank all the scientific staff and students at Landau whohelped in many different ways from serving wine to decorating rooms or puttingup posters, namely Koffi Tassou, Anne Schrimpf, Christoph Stang, Andre Dabrunz,Juliane Schmitz, Sebastian Stele, Matthias Hundt, Martin Geisthardt, AnnalenaSchotthöfer, Sebastian Schadt, Daniel Bilancia, Marlene Kassel, JochenZubrod, Robert Schulz, Edith Kindopp, Philipp Uhl, Anne-Karin Schuster, MarcelKämmer, Stefan Bastian, Eduard Szöcs, Sylke Müller, KatarinaSchmücking, Kristin Sprösser, Lukas Huber, Alexander Feckler, KarolineSchäfer, Colette Waitz, Dominik Englert, Denise Kötter, RickiRosenfeldt, Frank Seitz, Uli Bangert, Michael Burkard, Barbara Ganser andMathias Wieczorek.

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Correspondence to Carsten A Brühl.

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RBS and CB developed the concept of this article. RS, FM, PS, EB, MC, PE, HH, DK, SM,TR, GES, CS, FS, MVS, PvdO, LW, IW contributed equally to the content of the articleand gave their final approval. All authors read and approved the finalmanuscript.

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Brühl, C.A., Schäfer, R.B., Mittmann, F. et al. 16th SETAC GLB (Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry German LanguageBranch) Annual meeting held under the main theme “EcoTOXICOlogy andEnvironmental CHEMISTRY: crossing borders” from 18th to 20th September2011 at Landau. Environ Sci Eur 24, 39 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/2190-4715-24-39

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