Objective
The protection of soil ecosystems against toxic compounds is one of the main objectives in the environmental policy of the European Union. This policy has led to the successful development of soil toxicity tests for a range of soil organisms funded by the EU. So far these tests have been used to determine the effect of single compounds separately. In the field, however, soil organisms are exposed to a mixture of different toxicants at the same time. In contrast to aquatic toxicology, the ecotoxicological effects of mixtures in soil are poorly understood and data are very scarce.
Within the soil, complex interactions with the soil matrix occur due to sorption, transformation and speciation dynamics thus influencing bioavailability of mixtures. Moreover comprehensive concepts for mixture toxicity in soil are lacking which may hamper a refined and more realistic implementation of regulatory guidelines for safeguarding soil ecosystems.
The objective of this proposal is to assess the sublethal effect of toxicant mixtures on soil organisms and to look for general concepts which are applicable for different groups of compounds in soil. Recently developed sublethal soil toxicity tests using organisms with different uptake routes will be used in an integrative approach. Concepts on mixture toxicity (toxic units, funnel hypothesis and isobolographs), founded by aquatic toxicologists and pharmacologists will be used as a basis for their suitability in soil ecotoxicologal effect assessment procedures. The participants are linked together by: i) testing the same predefined mixtures (mixture 1, compounds with non-specific mode of action : copper, cadmium, lead and zinc; mixture 2, compounds with specific mode of action: carbendazim, iprodione and copper) with different invertebrate species, ii) standardized test conditions, iii) uniform measurement of chemical speciation and sorption, iv) conceptualizing and model development of effects of mixtures. The outcomes will meet the objectives mentioned in Area 2.2.1.2 of the Environment and Climate Work Programme and will provide a significant step forward in the assessment and interpretation of multiple compound effects of toxicants in soil. In addition this project focusses for the first time on sublethal effects of mixtures in contrast to acute toxicity endpoints in aquatic studies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry transition metals
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- medical and health sciences basic medicine toxicology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
6701 ES WAGENINGEN
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.