Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal: Science of the Total Environment

Volume number: 968

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178786

Publisher: Elsevier

Abstract: 
In animal husbandry, the macrocyclic lactone anthelmintic moxidectin is commonly used and may accumulate in pasture soils, potentially impacting plant growth and fitness. To investigate these effects while considering plant competition, we conducted a completely randomised pot experiment.
We grew four temperate grassland species – Achillea ptarmica, Agrostis capillaris, Dianthus deltoides, and Plantago lanceolata – separately in pots, with soil treated with formulated moxidectin at three concentration levels (0.1, 1, 5 μg g−1) or left untreated (control). In half of the pots, we added the dominant grass species Poa pratensis as a competitor. Over a full growth period in a greenhouse, we measured three morphological traits: above-ground plant biomass (APB), specific leaf area (SLA), and intact leaf area (ILA). Moxidectin concentrations in the above-ground plant parts and soil were analysed using HPLC.
Results showed that moxidectin was absorbed by the roots and transported to the above-ground plant parts. At the highest concentration (5 μg g−1), APB and ILA were reduced by 14.4 % and 19.8 %, respectively, compared to controls, while SLA increased by 12.2 %. Anthelmintic effects varied with competition; for APB, significant effects were noted only in the absence of competition for three out of four species. The highest increases in SLA and reductions in ILA at 5 μg g−1 occurred without competition in one and three species, respectively.
These findings suggest that soil contamination by anthelmintic residues can negatively affect the growth and fitness of grassland plants, particularly in low-competition areas, such as open soil patches, which serve as protective microsites for plant recruitment.

Harvard Citation style: Laber, L., Donath, T., Junck, J., Düring RA and Eichberg, C. (2025) Competition moderates impact of anthelmintic-contaminated soil on growth and fitness of temperate grassland species, Science of the Total Environment, 968, Article 178786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178786

APA Citation style: Laber, L., Donath, T., Junck, J., Düring RA, & Eichberg, C. (2025). Competition moderates impact of anthelmintic-contaminated soil on growth and fitness of temperate grassland species. Science of the Total Environment. 968, Article 178786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178786