From soils to apex species: chemical pathways, effects and impacts on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services and applications for better chemicals management

Project Information

TerraChem

Grant agreement ID: 101135483

DOI

10.3030/101135483

EC signature date 8 November 2023

Start date 1 November 2023

End date 31 October 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 5 504 122,50

EU contribution

€ 5 504 122,50

Coordinated by

ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE,S.R.O
Slovakia

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TerraChem (From soils to apex species: chemical pathways, effects and impacts on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services and applications for better chemicals management)

Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2025-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The European Green Deal sets a zero pollution ambition, addressed through the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and Action Plan Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil, which together aim to minimise the risk of chemicals to biodiversity and human health.

However, anthropogenic chemicals have passed the safe operating space of the planetary boundary; annual production and releases outstrip capacity for risk assessment and environmental monitoring. In Europe, the number of chemicals in use far exceeds capacities of conventional risk assessment and monitoring, chemical registration data is often inadequate and risk assessment does not sufficiently consider damages to biodiversity and ecosystem services, in particular in the terrestrial compartment.

Given this context, TerraChem aims to develop, demonstrate and apply a novel systems approach, which integrates real-world monitoring, modelling, big data management, analytical tools and user guidance in order to better understand exposure of terrestrial biota in Europe to all environmentally-relevant anthropogenic chemicals and resulting damage to terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services, to enable more efficient environmental risk assessment (ERA) of chemicals in the terrestrial compartment and more effective prevention and mitigation.

TerraChem’s objectives are:
(1) To understand routes of exposure to chemicals in wildlife, including routes and extent of trophic transfer, for selected food chains (from soil and soil water to plants, primary and secondary consumers and apex species) in representative terrestrial ecosystems;
(2) To model source-to-receptor pathways of selected chemical contaminants in terrestrial ecosystems, and link organism and species effects to damage on genetic and functional diversity and on relevant ecosystem services;
(3) To develop tools and guidance for regulatory and practice uptake of TerraChem output to optimise current ERA of chemicals and improve risk management measures, and thereby reduce chemical damage to terrestrial biodiversity; and
(4) To refine the TerraChem conceptual framework, ensure integration of monitoring, modelling and prevention and mitigation, ensure coherence with related initiatives and pertinence for key end-users and develop a TerraChem Data Management System and TerraChem Dashboard as a One-Stop Shop for data on contaminants in terrestrial biodiversity in Europe.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Work performed and main achievements (months 1-18) include:

(1) Monitoring chemicals exposure and mixture effects in real-world terrestrial food chains.
(a) Securing samples for 12 terrestrial apex species food chain case studies including: design of strategy for sampling barn owls and six apex mammal species and their food chains (mammal prey, invertebrates, plants, soil); selecting case study countries across Europe; subcontracting sample suppliers; developing a protocol for gathering, transport, processing, storage of samples; sampling of 6 replicate sample sets of c. 21 samples each per case study (total c. 1500 samples); shipment, processing, pooling of samples.
(b) Preparing for sample analyses: identifying substances of interest to regulators, purchase of standards to expand target lists, preparations for wide-scope target analysis, non-target/suspect screening and additional target analyses; sample lyophilisation and preparation of sample aliquots.
(c) Extraction of large volumes of secondary data on PPPs, other organics, metals and metalloids in wildlife food chains, cleaning/harmonising data, initiating data analysis.

(2) Modelling chemical source-to-damage pathways in terrestrial ecosystems.
(a) Collection, curation and validation of datasets of physicochemical and biochemical input parameters to enhance USEtox and USEtoxGeo model outputs for source-to-receptor pathways; developing a Python package to support modeling chemical fate, exposure and effects; identification of most accurate QSAR models for integration into USEtox and USEtoxGeo web applications.
(b) Effects on species richness: developing a method to quantify species loss in freshwater ecosystems, integrating biomonitoring and ecotoxicity data; identification of data to extend model to terrestrial ecosystems.
(c) Damage of genetic diversity: integrating disconnected datasets characterizing chemical activity, biological signalling pathways and genetic variability to model chemical risks to wild mice genetic diversity, and model influence of chemicals on wild boar genetic structure.
(d) Damage on functional diversity: developing proof of concept to derive damage metrices (concentration-response slope factors) from fitted functional sensitivity distributions.
(e) Damage on ecosystem services: review of trait data to explore potential to linktraits to specific ecosystem services and review of secondary data on PPPs in wildlife to identify a case study for proof of concept.

(3) Prevention and mitigation of chemical impacts on terrestrial ecosystems.
(a) Developing a scheme to prioritise chemicals for risk assessment and management based on multiple lines of evidence; filling a data gap by developing AI-based models and software to predict key endpoints in terrestrial organisms.
(b) Developing a factsheet to gather data for systematic screening of chemicals for key ecotoxicological endpoints, and guidance on data sources and assessment procedures, in order to reality-check results from standard ERA methodologies against real-world exposure.
(c) Critical review of the extent to which EU chemicals regulations and technical guidance address biodiversity considerations in hazard and risk assessment frameworks.
(d) Literature review and consultations to identify limitations in chemical risk management strategies and identify intervention points to improve treatment of biodiversity in risk management.

(4) Conceptual framing, integration and data management
(a) Alignment of monitoring, modelling, prevention and mitigation, and data management to advance the systems approach.
(b) Engagement with PARC on ERA and risk management, and on an Early Warning System, with NORMAN Network on data management, and with multiple partners on a Special Issue on improving risk assessment and management in relation to chemicals and biodiversity.
(c) Establishment of the TerraChem Data Management System to host and process chemical monitoring data from terrestrial ecosystems, and its population with data from related projects on chemicals in soils and terrestrial biota.
(d) Creation of the TerraChem Early Warning System to detect and prioritize signals of emerging contaminants using non-target screening data.
(e) Development of a TerraChem Dashboard offering a range of visualisation and analysis tools.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Results beyond the state of the art will be described in the next iteration of this report.

TerraChem logo

TerraChem systems approach