Ecological sensitivity and urban risk screening of aquatic and terrestrial species exposed to pre- and post-emergent herbicides

Herbicides applied to agricultural soils can adversely affect non-target organisms in both terrestrial ecosystems and downstream aquatic environments. However, comparative evaluations of ecological sensitivity across herbicide classes and environmental compartments remain limited. This study assessed five pre-emergent (PRE) herbicides (simazine, atrazine, trifluralin, diuron, and pendimethalin) and five post-emergent (POST) herbicides (glyphosate, 2,4-D, paraquat, glufosinate-ammonium, and dicamba) using species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) and evaluated whether the structural descriptor LogP could explain observed ecological sensitivity patterns in soil and aquatic systems. Toxicity datasets were harmonised across five representative taxa per compound, encompassing primary producers and higher trophic-level organisms. Aquatic taxa included diatoms, green algae, duckweed, crustaceans, and fish, whereas terrestrial taxa comprised earthworms, springtails, woodlice, snails, and monocotyledonous plants, thereby enhancing ecological…