>Moreover, the authors say that diversity decreased at pesticide

> concentrations that European regulations deem environmentally protective.
> "It shows our risk assessments don't work," says Beketov. "I think we
> should care about this because invertebrates are an important part of the
> food web."


There is good science, and poor science.  I have not yet reviewed the
paper, but benthic macroinvertebrate diversity decreases in agricultural
drainages independent of pesticides.  I'm not saying that pesticides don't
hurt benthic macroinvertebrates (they do), but I have experience in such
sampling.  There is a difference between correlation and causality.

What would be of far more interest would be to identify the specific
pesticides that indeed cause loss of benthics--mayflies, stoneflies, and
caddisflies are generally the most sensitive indicator species.  Then
better regulate those pesticides, and agricultural runoff.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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