In recent years, substances with endocrine-disrupting activity have been detected in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Application of sewage biosolids, dung or manure with high hormone concentrations onto agricultural land are one import source of contamination. Although effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on vertebrates have been deeply investigated, less is known about their interactions with non-target organisms, e.g. microorganisms. In microcosms experiments (outdoor and laboratory) using sediment, water and planktonic organisms from a littoral area of the lake Ammersee, we tested the hypothesis that trenbolone (TBOH), a hormone used in cattle production, will affect the diversity and function of benthic microbial communities. In both experiments the structure of microbial communities was not affected by TBOH treatment. However, changes in important microbial functions, such as chitinase activity, were observed. Overall the results indicate that microbial community function was more sensitive to TBOH treatment than the community structure.
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In recent years, substances with endocrine-disrupting activity have been detected in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Application of sewage biosolids, dung or manure with high hormone concentrations onto agricultural land are one import source of contamination. Although effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on vertebrates have been deeply investigated, less is known about their interactions with non-target organisms, e.g. microorganisms. In microcosms experiments (outdoor and laboratory) using...
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