Land use affects living organisms in the subsurface
Published: Tuesday, Oct 22nd 2024, 11:00
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Land use influences living organisms in the subsurface within a radius of up to one kilometer. Swiss researchers have shown that significantly fewer groundwater amphipods are found in water extraction plants near fields than in plants in the middle of forests.
Groundwater amphipods resemble tiny shrimps, are white and blind. They play an important role in the functioning of groundwater ecosystems, as the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) reported on Tuesday. They are at the top of the food chain in groundwater and influence all other organisms at lower levels.
Land use has a negative impact on the water extraction plants and thus their habitat, which are located 600 to 1000 meters away, wrote Eawag. Groundwater close to fields also tends to be more contaminated with nitrate, which is associated with poorer drinking water quality. This was shown by a study of the water supply in the Swiss Plateau.
The presence or absence of animals is an additional indicator of water quality alongside factors such as the structure of the local aquifer, pore size and water chemistry. Protection zones are in place to protect drinking water from contamination and other harmful influences. However, in the Central Plateau, these only cover an average of 300 to 400 meters around water supply facilities.
As part of their investigations, the Eawag researchers used genetic analyses to discover several previously unknown species of amphipods. The researchers also traced the impact of the last ice age around 20,000 years ago on the distribution and current occurrence of groundwater amphipods. Some species can only be found in places that were not glaciated.
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