Keystone communities can rescue aquatic metacommunities influenced by pesticide contamination.

ABSTRACT: Pesticide contamination in freshwater habitats is a major global issue, affecting water quality, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Uncontaminated habitats embedded in agricultural landscapes might act as keystone communities, with the ability to restore diversity and ecological processes in contaminated sites through dispersal. Despite their potential relevance, the role of keystone communities in mitigating agrochemical contamination remains untested. We asked if pristine habitats embedded in agricultural landscapes can act as keystone communities and drive the recovery of contaminated habitats. To answer this question, we conducted a mesocosm experiment to simulate zooplankton metacommunity dynamics under three treatments: uncontaminated, fully contaminated, and partially contaminate

SUBMITTER: Vieira CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12683696 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature