As a biogeochemist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Matthew Berens studies how carbon, nutrients and minerals move through water and soil.
Firsthand fieldwork: ORNL scientists establish monitoring in at-risk coastal ecosystem ornl.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ornl.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Predator conservation, the value of microorganisms, innovating water pollution solutions students tackle all that and more out of the U s research lab.
The widely used insecticides are well known for their effects on bees and other pollinating insects.
Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used in agriculture; the chemical is applied to many of the seeds farmers plant. It s known as a systemic insecticide because as the plant grows, it takes up the insecticide with water and nutrients.
If an insect tries to eat the plant, it gets a lethal dose of insecticide. Concerns about the impact on pollinators is based on the fact the insecticide is also found in the pollen of flowering plants near farm fields where bees feed.
But the U of M study raises questions about potential environmental effects in lakes and rivers from persistent low levels of insecticides, and about the level of the chemicals in urban waterways.