Research on aquatic microcosm: Bibliometric analysis, toxicity comparison and model prediction

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecotoxicology
• Ecosystem Modeling

Background:

• Aquatic microcosms are valuable tools for simulating natural aquatic ecosystems.
• Bibliometric analysis reveals trends, hotspots, and international collaborations in aquatic microcosm research.
• Research spans ecological processes, ecosystem services, and pollutant toxicity/degradation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the historical development and current landscape of aquatic microcosm research.
• To compare single-species toxicity tests with microcosm tests for ecological risk assessment.
• To develop predictive models for microcosm toxicity values.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 1841 articles published between 1962 and 2022.
• Comparison of aquatic safety thresholds (NOECcommunity, HC5, PNEC) from single-species and microcosm tests.
• Construction of regression models to predict microcosm toxicity.

Main Results:

• The United States and China are leading countries in aquatic microcosm research publications.
• Significant differences were observed between community-level no-effect concentration (NOECcommunity) and hazardous concentration for 5% of species (HC5).
• Predictive models for microcosm toxicity were developed.

Conclusions:

• Aquatic microcosm research is evolving, with distinct phases focusing on ecological functions and pollutant impacts.
• Microcosm tests provide a different tier of assessment compared to single-species tests, highlighting the importance of community-level effects.
• The developed models offer a valuable reference for ecological risk assessments using aquatic microcosms.