The historical perspective on the rapid biodegradation of pesticides as a mitigating factor in environmental risk assessment is reexamined through the example of glyphosate and its implications for freshwater biodiversity. Commonly employed standardized methods by national agencies for assessing the environmental risk of pesticides predominantly rely on single-species tests, overlooking the intricate nature of ecosystems. Glyphosate, one of the most widely used pesticides marketed for its purported rapid biodegradability, is often perceived as relatively innocuous. However, its degradation releases phosphorus into the environment, inducing a trophic state shift in water systems towards more eutrophic conditions, consequently affecting water quality. These findings highlight the cascading ecological repercussions of glyphosate biodegradation, driving the proliferation of specific aquatic organisms, such as picocyanobacteria and metaphyton, resulting in the alteration of ecosystem structure and dynamics. The study explores challenges posed by commercial pesticide formulations and investigates the consequences of pesticide interactions with specific anthropogenic factors. A case in point is the interaction of glyphosate with the invasive mussel Limnoperna fortunei, exacerbating the overall scenario. The ecological framework analyzed challenges the conventional notion that pesticide biodegradation is inherently a neutral or positive event. The results underscore the necessity of reassessing the role of biodegradation itself in environmental impact assessments for pesticides.

通过草甘膦的例子及其对淡水生物多样性的影响，重新审视了农药快速生物降解作为环境风险评估缓解因素的历史观点。国家机构通常采用的评估农药环境风险的标准化方法主要依赖于单物种测试，忽视了生态系统的复杂性。草甘膦是市场上使用最广泛的农药之一，因其据称具有快速生物降解性，通常被认为相对无害。然而，其降解会将磷释放到环境中，导致水系统的营养状态转变为更富营养的条件，从而影响水质。这些发现强调了草甘膦生物降解的级联生态影响，推动了特定水生生物（如微微蓝细菌和后生藻）的增殖，导致生态系统结构和动态的改变。该研究探讨了商业农药制剂带来的挑战，并调查了农药与特定人为因素相互作用的后果。一个典型的例子是草甘膦与入侵性贻贝Limnoperna Fortunei的相互作用，从而加剧了整体情况。分析的生态框架挑战了农药生物降解本质上是中性或积极事件的传统观念。结果强调了重新评估生物降解本身在农药环境影响评估中的作用的必要性。