Biodiversity Monitoring and Ecosystem Response to Non-Point Source Pollution: Integrating eDNA, Biomonitoring, and Ecological Indicators

Non-point source (NPS) pollution from agriculture, urban runoff, atmospheric deposition, and diffuse industrial sources is one of the most pervasive and least controlled drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation worldwide. Unlike point-source discharges, NPS pollution is spatially diffuse, temporally variable, and frequently undetected by conventional monitoring frameworks until ecological damage is already advanced. As international policy instruments such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and national water quality directives raise the bar for measurable biodiversity outcomes, there is an urgent need for monitoring approaches that can capture biological responses to NPS pollution at scale, with sensitivity, and across freshwater, soil, and terrestrial systems.

This Research Topic brings together contributions that advance our understanding of how biodiversity and ecosystem function respond to non-point source pollution, and how emerging monitoring technologies can inform detection, management, and policy. We welcome original research, reviews, methodological papers, and case studies on:
• Environmental DNA (eDNA) and metabarcoding approaches for detecting biodiversity responses to diffuse pollution
• Biological indicators, bioindicator species, and community-level metrics under agricultural and urban NPS pressure
• Integrative biomonitoring combining molecular, chemical, and ecological approaches
• Soil, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystem responses to nutrient enrichment, pesticide runoff, and atmospheric deposition
• Spatial and temporal variability of NPS pollution impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem function
• Translating biomonitoring data into conservation, restoration, and water quality policy
• Case studies from agricultural, peri-urban, and mixed-use landscapes across different biogeographic regions

By integrating molecular biodiversity tools with classical biomonitoring and ecological theory, this collection aims to bridge the gap between detection and action, supporting the next generation of evidence-based biodiversity management under diffuse pollution pressure.