Leaching of unexpected cyazofamid degradation products into groundwater demonstrates gaps in current pesticide risk assessment.

To investigate the formation and leaching potential of degradation products N,N-dimethylsulfamide (DMS) and dimethylsulfamic acid (DMSA) from cyazofamid under real-world agricultural conditions, the fungicide cyazofamid was applied in a potato crop as part of the Danish Pesticide Leaching Assessment Programme (PLAP). Leaching of DMS, DMSA, 4-chloro-5-(4-methylphenyl)-1H-imidazole-2-carbonitrile (CCIM), and 4-chloro-5-(4-methylphenyl)-1H-imidazole-2-carboxylicacid (CTCA) was monitored in water from the variably saturated zone (suction cups) and groundwater for more than two years following the applications. In total, 424 samples were analyzed for the content of the four degradation products. An additional laboratory study was executed in parallel with the field monitoring study. Here, cyazofamid was applied to soil columns and leaching of the four degradation products was studied under controlled conditions. In the EFSA conclusion on cyazofamid, CCIM and CTCA are mentioned as major relevant metabolites; DMS is not mentioned in the risk assessment and DMSA is only included in acute oral toxicity studies and an in vitro bacterial mutation assay. In contrast to the EFSA conclusion on cyazofamid, our studies showed no leaching of the two major metabolites, CTCA and CCIM, but instead, major leaching of DMS and DMSA in both the field and laboratory studies was observed. That is, both DMS and DMSA leached to the groundwater in concentrations >0.1 µg/L for more than half a year. Based on this, we suggest improvements to the current pesticide risk assessment.

Large mercury release from the Greenland Ice Sheet invalidated.

The major input of mercury (Hg) to the Arctic is normally ascribed to long-range transport of anthropogenic Hg emissions. Recently, alarming concentrations of Hg in meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) were reported with bedrock as the proposed source. Reported Hg concentrations were 100 to 1000 times higher than in known freshwater systems of Greenland, calling for independent validation of the extraordinary concentrations and conclusions. Here, we present measurements of Hg at 21 glacial outlets in West Greenland showing that extreme Hg concentrations cannot be reproduced. In contrast, we find that meltwater from below the GrIS is very low in Hg, has minor implications for the global Hg budget, and pose only a very limited risk for local communities and the natural environment of Greenland.

A von Hámos spectrometer for diamond anvil cell experiments at the High Energy Density Instrument of the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser.

A von Hámos spectrometer has been implemented in the vacuum interaction chamber 1 of the High Energy Density instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility. This setup is dedicated, but not necessarily limited, to X-ray spectroscopy measurements of samples exposed to static compression using a diamond anvil cell. Si and Ge analyser crystals with different orientations are available for this setup, covering the hard X-ray energy regime with a sub-eV energy resolution. The setup was commissioned by measuring various emission spectra of free-standing metal foils and oxide samples in the energy range between 6 and 11 keV as well as low momentum-transfer inelastic X-ray scattering from a diamond sample. Its capabilities to study samples at extreme pressures and temperatures have been demonstrated by measuring the electronic spin-state changes of (Fe0.5Mg0.5)O, contained in a diamond anvil cell and pressurized to 100 GPa, via monitoring the Fe Kß fluorescence with a set of four Si(531) analyser crystals at close to melting temperatures. The efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrometer enables valence-to-core emission signals to be studied and single pulse X-ray emission from samples in a diamond anvil cell to be measured, opening new perspectives for spectroscopy in extreme conditions research.

The interaction of viral fusion peptides with lipid membranes.

In this paper, we studied fusogenic peptides of class I-III fusion proteins, which are relevant to membrane fusion for certain enveloped viruses, in contact with model lipid membranes. We resolved the vertical structure and examined the adsorption or penetration behavior of the fusogenic peptides at phospholipid Langmuir monolayers with different initial surface pressures with x-ray reflectometry. We show that the fusion loops of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) glycoprotein E and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G-protein are not able to insert deeply into model lipid membranes, as they adsorbed mainly underneath the headgroups with only limited penetration depths into the lipid films. In contrast, we observed that the hemagglutinin 2 fusion peptide (HA2-FP) and the VSV-transmembrane domain (VSV-TMD) can penetrate deeply into the membranes. However, in the case of VSV-TMD, the penetration was suppressed already at low surface pressures, whereas HA2-FP was able to insert even into highly compressed films. Membrane fusion is accompanied by drastic changes of the membrane curvature. To investigate how the peptides affect the curvature of model lipid membranes, we examined the effect of the fusogenic peptides on the equilibration of cubic monoolein structures after a phase transition from a lamellar state induced by an abrupt hydrostatic pressure reduction. We monitored this process in presence and absence of the peptides with small-angle x-ray scattering and found that HA2-FP and VSV-TMD drastically accelerate the equilibration, while the fusion loops of TBEV and VSV stabilize the swollen state of the lipid structures. In this work, we show that the class I fusion peptide of HA2 penetrates deeply into the hydrophobic region of membranes and is able to promote and accelerate the formation of negative curvature. In contrast, we found that the class II and III fusion loops of TBEV and VSV tend to counteract negative membrane curvature.

National Assessment of Long-Term Groundwater Response to Pesticide Regulation.

Quantitative assessments of long-term, national-scale responses of groundwater quality to pesticide applications are essential to evaluate the effectiveness of pesticide regulations. Retardation time in the unsaturated zone (Ru) was estimated for selected herbicides (atrazine, simazine, and bentazon) and degradation products (desethylatrazine (DEA), desisopropylatrazine (DIA), desethyldesisopropylatrazine (DEIA), and BAM) using a multidecadal time series of groundwater solute chemistry (∼30 years) and herbicide sales (∼60 years). The sampling year was converted to recharge year using groundwater age. Then, Ru was estimated using a cross-correlation analysis of the sales and the frequencies of detection and exceedance of the drinking water standard (0.1 µg/L) of each selected compound. The results showed no retardation of the highly polar, thus mobile, parent compounds (i.e., bentazon), while Ru of the moderately polar compounds (i.e., simazine) was about a decade, and their degradation products showed even longer Ru. The temporal trends of the degradation products did not mirror those of the sale data, which were attributed to the various sale periods of the parent compounds, sorption of the parent compounds, and complex degradation pathways. The longer Ru in clayey/organic sediments than in sandy sediments further confirmed the role of soil-specific retardation as an important factor to consider in groundwater protection.

Combining reverse osmosis and microbial degradation for remediation of drinking water contaminated with recalcitrant pesticide residue.

Groundwater contamination by recalcitrant organic micropollutants such as pesticide residues poses a great threat to the quality of drinking water. One way to remediate drinking water containing micropollutants is to bioaugment with specific pollutant degrading bacteria. Previous attempts to augment sand filters with the 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) degrading bacterium Aminobacter niigataensis MSH1 to remediate BAM-polluted drinking water initially worked well, but the efficiency rapidly decreased due to loss of degrader bacteria. Here, we use pilot-scale augmented sand filters to treat retentate of reverse osmosis treatment, thus increasing residence time in the biofilters and potentially nutrient availability. In a first pilot-scale experiment, BAM and most of the measured nutrients were concentrated 5-10 times in the retentate. This did not adversely affect the abundances of inoculated bacteria and the general prokaryotic community of the sand filter presented only minor differences. On the other hand, the high degradation activity was not prolonged compared to the filter receiving non-concentrated water at the same residence time. Using laboratory columns, it was shown that efficient BAM degradation could be achieved for >100 days by increasing the residence time in the sand filter. A slower flow may have practical implications for the treatment of large volumes of water, however this can be circumvented when treating only the retentate water equalling 10-15% of the volume of inlet water. We therefore conducted a second pilot-scale experiment with two inoculated sand filters receiving membrane retentate operated with different residence times (22 versus 133 min) for 65 days. While the number of MSH1 in the biofilters was not affected, the effect on degradation was significant. In the filter with short residence time, BAM degradation decreased from 86% to a stable level of 10-30% degradation within the first two weeks. The filter with the long residence time initially showed >97% BAM degradation, which only slightly decreased with time (88% at day 65). Our study demonstrates the advantage of combining membrane filtration with bioaugmented filters in cases where flow rate is of high importance.

Leaching of 1,2,4-triazole from commercial barley seeds coated with tebuconazole and prothioconazole.

Seed dressing with fungicide or insecticide is a standard procedure for growing major crops, but very little is known about the leaching risk and the general fate of pesticides from coated seeds. Triazole fungicides are commonly used seed dressing fungicides and recently, there has been increasing concern that 1,2,4-triazole, a major degradation product of several triazole fungicides, may leach to groundwater in concentrations exceeding the 0.1 µg/L threshold limit of the European Union. We therefore carried out a laboratory column experiment with commercial barley seeds coated with the triazole fungicides tebuconazole and prothioconazole to study the fate of the fungicides and their degradation products, especially 1,2,4-triazole. Our experiment showed that the fungicides themselves were relatively immobile in the soil columns, but also that leaching of 1,2,4-triazole will occur no matter if tebuconazole or prothioconazole is used as seed dressing. Relatively high 1,2,4-triazole concentrations (up to 0.8 µg/L) were measured in the column leachates, but when the experiment was terminated after 63 days, a total of only 1 % of the fungicides was recovered as 1,2,4-triazole in the leachate. Our results suggest that seed dressing pesticides should be considered together with spray applications when estimating the total 1,2,4-triazole load from agriculture and that seed dressing pesticides and their degradation products should be included when evaluating leaching risks from pesticide applications in agriculture.

Isomeric effects in structure formation and dielectric dynamics of different octanols.

The understanding of the microstructure of associated liquids promoted by hydrogen-bonding and constrained by steric hindrance is highly relevant in chemistry, physics, biology and for many aspects of daily life. In this study we use a combination of X-ray diffraction, dielectric spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations to reveal temperature induced changes in the microstructure of different octanol isomers, i.e., linear 1-octanol and branched 2-, 3- and 4-octanol. In all octanols, the hydroxyl groups form the basis of chain-, cyclic- or loop-like bonded structures that are separated by outwardly directed alkyl chains. This clustering is analyzed through the scattering pre-peaks observed from X-ray scattering and simulations. The charge ordering which pilots OH aggregation can be linked to the strength of the Debye process observed in dielectric spectroscopy. Interestingly, all methods used here converge to the same interpretation: as one moves from 1-octanol to the branched octanols, the cluster structure evolves from loose large aggregates to a larger number of smaller, tighter aggregates. All alcohols exhibit a peculiar temperature dependence of both the pre-peak and Debye process, which can be understood as a change in microstructure promoted by chain association with increased chain length possibly assisted by ring-opening effects. All these results tend to support the intuitive picture of the entropic constraint provided by branching through the alkyl tails and highlight its capital entropic role in supramolecular assembly.

Ion association in hydrothermal aqueous NaCl solutions: implications for the microscopic structure of supercritical water.

Knowledge of the microscopic structure of fluids and changes thereof with pressure and temperature is important for the understanding of chemistry and geochemical processes. In this work we investigate the influence of sodium chloride on the hydrogen-bond network in aqueous solution up to supercritical conditions. A combination of in situ X-ray Raman scattering and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations is used to probe the oxygen K-edge of the alkali halide aqueous solution in order to obtain unique information about the oxygen's local coordination around the ions, e.g. solvation-shell structure and the influence of ion pairing. The measured spectra exhibit systematic temperature dependent changes, which are entirely reproduced by calculations on the basis of structural snapshots obtained via ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Analysis of the simulated trajectories allowed us to extract detailed structural information. This combined analysis reveals a net destabilizing effect of the dissolved ions which is reduced with rising temperature. The observed increased formation of contact ion pairs and occurrence of larger polyatomic clusters at higher temperatures can be identified as a driving force behind the increasing structural similarity between the salt solution and pure water at elevated temperatures and pressures with drawback on the role of hydrogen bonding in the hot fluid. We discuss our findings in view of recent results on hot NaOH and HCl aqueous fluids and emphasize the importance of ion pairing in the interpretation of the microscopic structure of water.

Aryl N-[ω-(6-Fluoroindol-1-yl)alkyl]carbamates as Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase, Monoacylglycerol Lipase, and Butyrylcholinesterase: Structure-Activity Relationships and Hydrolytic Stability.

A series of aryl N-[ω-(6-fluoroindol-1-yl)alkyl]carbamates with alkyl spacers of varying lengths between the indole and the carbamate group and with differently substituted aryl moieties at the carbamate oxygen were synthesized and tested for inhibition of the pharmacologically interesting serine hydrolases fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Furthermore, the chemical stability in an aqueous solution and the metabolic stability toward esterases in porcine liver homogenate and porcine blood plasma were determined. While most of the synthesized derivatives were potent inhibitors of FAAH, a considerable inhibition of MAGL and BuChE was elicited only by compounds with a high carbamate reactivity, as evidenced by a significant hydrolysis of these compounds in an aqueous solution. However, the high inhibitory potency of some compounds toward MAGL and BuChE, especially that of the ortho-carboxyphenyl derivative 37, could not be explained by chemical reactivity alone. Several of the carbamates studied possessed varying degrees of stability toward esterases from liver and blood plasma. In some cases, marked inactivation by the pseudo-esterase activity of plasma albumin was observed. Mass spectrometric studies showed that such carbamates formed covalent bonds with albumin at several sites.

Impact of compost reactive layer on hydraulic transport and C & N cycles: Biogeochemical modeling of infiltration column experiments.

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a key strategy to increase freshwater resources in many regions facing water scarcity. MAR issues are related to both quantity and quality of the infiltrating water. In most countries, very high quality of the infiltrating water is required, to limit the impact on the aquifer geochemistry. In this paper, the possibility of injecting water of lower quality in the aquifer and letting the biogeochemical reactions take place in order to enhance its quality is explored. Here, we present the fate of nutrients (C, N) in the biogeochemical system of a reactive barrier formed by mixture of different proportions of sand and compost, supplied with treated wastewater to mimic MAR. An integrated conceptual model involving the nutrient cycles and biomass dynamics (auto- and heterotrophic) was developed, and then tested with a number of solute transport experiments in columns with different compost fraction in the column filling. The model incorporated both saturation and inhibition processes (regarding the nutrients and their byproducts) to provide a comprehensive picture of the nutrient dynamics within the column. The model developed (three if considering the 3 column setups) allowed to discriminate the processes that govern the fate of nutrients in relation with the compost enhancing long-term nutrient degradation, yet hindering hydraulic parameters that affect infiltration rates.

Combined removal of organic micropollutants and ammonium in reactive barriers developed for managed aquifer recharge.

Groundwater is an important drinking water resource. To ensure clean drinking water, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) could be an attractive solution when recharging with treated wastewater. The installation of reactive barriers, e.g. with compost or other organic materials at MAR facilities, may improve pollutant removal. To link pollutant transformation processes and microbiology in reactive barriers, we simulated infiltration through different sand-compost mixtures using laboratory columns with depth-specific sampling of water and barrier material. We also evaluated the effect of inoculation with activated sludge. Our focus was on the simultaneous removal of organic micropollutants and nitrogen species, with parallel monitoring of the development of microbial communities. During 17 weeks of operation, the columns were fed with synthetic wastewater containing five organic micropollutants (1-2 µg/L each) and ammonium (2 mg N/L). Unique communities developed in the columns in relation to barrier material, with high effects of compost addition and minor effect of inoculation. Removal of the micropollutant paracetamol (acetaminophen) occurred in all columns, while sulfamethoxazole was only removed in columns with 50% compost. By contrast, limited removal was observed for sulfadiazine, carbamazepine and diuron, with the latter two displaying transient removal, attributed sorption. Oxygen was depleted within the top few cm of the columns when compost was present, but this was sufficient to remove all ammonium through nitrification. The fate of accumulated nitrate at deeper layers depended on the fraction of compost, with more compost leading to removal of nitrate by denitrification, but also by dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, hampering the overall nitrogen removal efficiency. Introducing compost as reactive barrier in MAR facilities has a large effect on the microbial communities and processes, but whether it will provide overall cleaner water to the underlying aquifer is uncertain and will depend very much on the type of pollutant.

Leaching of herbicidal residues from gravel surfaces - A lysimeter-based study comparing gravels with agricultural topsoil.

Evidence from the past shows that pesticide use in populated areas may impact groundwater quality. The approval of herbicides such as diflufenican and glyphosate for use on paved and unpaved gravel surfaces in the European Union is based on their behaviour and fate in agricultural soils. However, this might be very different from their fate in gravel surfaces. We therefore conducted an outdoor study with 21 small lysimeters containing different gravel types and a sandy arable topsoil as control. The lysimeters were sprayed with a commercial product for gardening, containing diflufenican and glyphosate. The concentrations of the herbicides and their relevant degradation products in the outlet was followed for 19 months. Diflufenican, glyphosate and AMPA did not leach from any of the lysimeters. However, one diflufenican degradation product (AE-0) leached from two of the gravel types for more than a year and a second degradation product (AE-B) leached from all gravels for up to one year. Concentrations in the leachate peaked at 0.5-3 µg/L, with highest concentrations over the longest periods observed with rock chippings on top of the gravel. We conclude, that the different properties of gravel compared to those of agricultural soils may lead to very different herbicide leaching patterns but also that the leaching depends highly on the type of gravel and type of herbicide.

Low Turnover of Soil Bacterial rRNA at Low Temperatures.

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is used widely to investigate potentially active microorganisms in environmental samples, including soil microorganisms and other microbial communities that are subjected to pronounced seasonal variation in temperature. This raises a question about the turnover of intracellular microbial rRNA at environmentally relevant temperatures. We analyzed the turnover at four temperatures of RNA isolated from soil bacteria amended with 14C-labeled uridine. We found that the half-life of recently produced RNA increased from 4.0 days at 20°C to 15.8 days at 4°C, and 215 days at -4°C, while no degradation was detected at -18°C during a 1-year period. We discuss the implications of the strong temperature dependency of rRNA turnover for interpretation of microbiome data based on rRNA isolated from environmental samples.

A portable on-axis laser-heating system for near-90° X-ray spectroscopy: application to ferropericlase and iron silicide.

A portable IR fiber laser-heating system, optimized for X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and nuclear inelastic scattering (NIS) spectroscopy with signal collection through the radial opening of diamond anvil cells near 90°with respect to the incident X-ray beam, is presented. The system offers double-sided on-axis heating by a single laser source and zero attenuation of incoming X-rays other than by the high-pressure environment. A description of the system, which has been tested for pressures above 100 GPa and temperatures up to 3000 K, is given. The XES spectra of laser-heated Mg0.67Fe0.33O demonstrate the potential to map the iron spin state in the pressure-temperature range of the Earth's lower mantle, and the NIS spectra of laser-heated FeSi give access to the sound velocity of this candidate of a phase inside the Earth's core. This portable system represents one of the few bridges across the gap between laser heating and high-resolution X-ray spectroscopies with signal collection near 90°.

Acessibilidade para usuários de cadeira de rodas em estabelecimentos comerciais: o caso de cidades turísticas da Serra Gaúcha / Accessibility for wheelchair users in commercial establishments: the case of tourist cities of Serra Gaúcha

O artigo visa analisar em que medida os estabelecimentos comerciais de duas cidades turísticas da Serra Gaúcha são acessíveis aos usuários de cadeira de rodas. A pesquisa é de natureza básica, de caráter descritivo e realizada sob o paradigma quantitativo e qualitativo. Foi realizado um estudo de caso em duas cidades da Serra Gaúcha, onde foram analisados 377 estabelecimentos comerciais. Os resultados indicaram que 38,45% dos estabelecimentos estudados oferecem rampas adequadas e somente 1,32% disponibilizam sanitários adaptados. Portas acessíveis foram identificadas em 80,36%, bem superior aos demais itens analisados, porém ainda insuficiente para garantir a acessibilidade universal. Pode-se inferir que se encontrou um número significativo de barreiras arquitetônicas que interferem negativamente na acessibilidade da população local e dos turistas usuários de cadeira de rodas.

The article aims to analyze in what extent the commercial establishments of two tourist cities of the Serra Gaúcha are accessible to wheelchair users. The research has a basic nature, a descriptive character and was performed under the quantitative and qualitative paradigm. The case study was carried out in two cities of the Serra Gaúcha, where 377 commercial establishments were analyzed. The results indicated that 38.45% of the establishments studied offer adequate ramps and only 1.32% offer adapted toilets. Accessible doors were identified at 80.36%, well above the other items analyzed, but still insufficient to guarantee universal accessibility. It can be inferred that a significant number of architectural barriers have been found that interfere negatively in the accessibility of the local population and the wheelchair users.

A comparison of the fate of diflufenican in agricultural sandy soil and gravel used in urban areas.

Diflufenican is used in both agricultural and urban areas to control weeds. However, in Europe pesticides are regulated using agricultural soil data only. Urban soils where the top layer is replaced by gravel (e.g. driveways, outdoor tiled areas) can evidently differ from agricultural soils in many biotic and physical properties. In the present study, we compared the degradation, mineralization, sorption and aging of diflufenican between an agricultural sandy soil to a gravel used in urban areas. Both diflufenican and its two main aerobic metabolites were investigated. Diflufenican and the metabolites degraded slower in gravel than in agricultural soil. One of the metabolites, 2-[3-(Trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]nicotinic acid (AE B107137 as identified by EFSA; further abbreviated as AE-B), was formed from the incubation of diflufenican in both soil and gravel, however, showing different formation patterns in the two materials: No accumulation of AE-B was determined in the soil, whereas in gravel, an accumulation of AE-B was determined over the full study period of 150 days. After 150 days, approximately 10% of the applied diflufenican was mineralised in the soil (cumulative), while it was not mineralised in the gravel. Diflufenican showed much stronger sorption to the soil than to the gravel, while the sorption of the metabolites was weaker than diflufenican in both soil and gravel. Within the experimental period, the influence of aging on the fate of diflufenican in soil and gravel is limited (<0.9 and <1.4%, respectively) when compared to the amount of compound still present in the soil. Overall, the results imply shortcomings in the risk assessment procedures requested for the registration of pesticides for urban areas.

History and Sources of Co-Occurring Pesticides in an Abstraction Well Unraveled by Age Distributions of Depth-Specific Groundwater Samples.

When groundwater-based drinking water supply becomes contaminated, the timing and source of contamination are obvious questions. However, contaminants often have diffuse sources and different contaminants may have different sources even in a single groundwater well, making these questions complicated to answer. Age dating of groundwater has been used to reconstruct contaminant travel times to wells; however, critics have highlighted that groundwater flow is often complex with mixing of groundwater of different ages. In drinking water wells, where water is typically abstracted from a large depth interval, such mixing is even more problematic. We present a way to overcome some of the obstacles in identifying the source and age of contaminants in drinking water wells by combining depth-specific sampling with age tracer modeling, particle tracking simulations, geological characterization, and contaminant properties. This multitool approach was applied to a drinking water well, where bentazon and dichlorprop contamination was found to have different pollutant sources and release histories, even though both pesticides can be associated with the same land use. Bentazon was derived from recent application to a golf course, while dichlorprop was derived from agricultural use more than 30 years ago. The advantages, limitations, and pitfalls of the proposed course of action are then further discussed.

Successional trophic complexity and biogeographical structure of eukaryotic communities in waterworks' rapid sand filters.

As groundwater-fed waterworks clean their raw inlet water with sand filters, a variety of pro- and eukaryotic microbial communities develop on these filters. While several studies have targeted the prokaryotic sand filter communities, little is known about the eukaryotic communities, despite the obvious need for knowledge of microorganisms that get in contact with human drinking water. With a new general eukaryotic primer set (18S, V1-V3 region), we performed FLX-454 sequencing of material from 21 waterworks' sand filters varying in age (3-40 years) and geographical location on a 250 km east-west axis in Denmark, and put the data in context of their previously published prokaryotic communities. We find that filters vary highly in trophic complexity depending on age, from simple systems with bacteria and protozoa (3-6 years) to complex, mature systems with nematodes, rotifers and turbellarians as apex predators (40 years). Unlike the bacterial communities, the eukaryotic communities display a clear distance-decay relationship that predominates over environmental variations, indicating that the underlying aquifers feeding the filters harbor distinct eukaryotic communities with limited dispersal in between. Our findings have implications for waterworks' filter management, and offer a window down to the largely unexplored eukaryotic microbiology of groundwater aquifers.