Ecotoxicity effects on functional diversity - A proof of concept using a sensitivity distribution approach

Area of Science:

• Ecotoxicology
• Ecosystem Ecology
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Current chemical risk assessments use species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) but neglect species' functional roles.
• Functional diversity, which captures species roles, is crucial for understanding ecosystem health.
• There is a need for methods that integrate functional traits into ecotoxicological assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a novel method for estimating chemical toxicity effects on functional diversity, focusing on functional richness.
• To integrate ecotoxicity, abundance, and trait data for a more holistic ecological risk evaluation.
• To demonstrate the utility of functional sensitivity distributions (FSDs) in chemical risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• Developed a functional sensitivity distribution (FSD) approach, analogous to SSDs.
• Integrated species ecotoxicity data with abundance and trait information.
• Derived concentration-response relationships for functional diversity metrics.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that increasing chemical concentrations negatively impact both functional and species richness.
• Observed that impacts on species richness do not always correlate with impacts on functional richness, underscoring the importance of functional traits.
• Highlighted the added value of considering functional traits in ecotoxicological assessments.

Conclusions:

• Functional sensitivity distributions provide a more comprehensive evaluation of chemical-induced ecological effects than traditional SSDs.
• This approach supports chemical registration, authorization, and risk management decisions.
• Improving data availability for traits and ecotoxicity is crucial for wider application of FSDs.