Institut für ökologische Chemie, Pflanzenanalytik und Vorratsschutz
In the project, 30 small standing waters in Germany (Brandenburg) and 30 small standing waters in Spain (Catalonia) are being investigated with regard to the concentrations of pesticides in surface water and zooplankton. We assume that the analysis of pesticides in zooplankton will provide information on long-term pesticide exposure, as the organism can accumulate the active substances over time. Thus, zooplankton could be a more sensitive indicator of pesticide exposure than water alone. The analysis of pesticides in zooplankton allows the determination of the potential impact of pesticides on the entire aquatic food web, as zooplankton is an important part of the food chain. The main focus is on the following aspects: i) Linearity: comparison of the proportionality between the active substance concentrations in zooplankton and the active substance concentrations in water; ii) Limit of detection and quantification: comparison of the lowest concentrations at which the method can detect and quantify the active substance in zooplankton and water; iii) Precision: Comparison of the extent to which the method provides consistent results when repeated measurements are made under the same conditions in zooplankton and water; and (iv) specificity: comparison of the ability of the method to accurately measure the active substance of interest in zooplankton and water and not interfere with.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
