0000000000206400
AUTHOR
Tuomas Lukkari
CHANGES IN COLLEMBOLA RICHNESS AND DIVERSITY ALONG A GRADIENTOF LAND-USE INTENSITY : A pan European study
Changes in Collembola richness and diversity along a land-use intensity gradient were studied in eight European countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Hungary, UK, Ireland and Finland). In each country a set of six 1 km2 land-use units (LUUs) were selected forming a gradient ranging from natural forest to agricultural dominated landscapes, passing through mixed-use ones. In addition to data on Collembola, detailed information regarding landscape diversity and structure was collected for each LUU. A total of 47,774 individuals were identified from 281 species. Collembola reacted not only to changes in the diversity of the landscape, but also to the composition of that diversity and…
Biomarker responses of the earthworm Aporrectodea tuberculata to copper and zinc exposure: differences between populations with and without earlier metal exposure.
Biomarkers in the earthworm Aporrectodea tuberculata (Eisen) were measured to find out their possible induction under Cu and Zn exposure and differences in the responses between two populations with different exposure history. The biomarkers applied were concentration of metallothioneins (MT), and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) monooxygenase and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities. These were measured from earthworms sampled at three distances from a steel smelter in Finland and from the individuals from two populations, one with and another without earlier metal exposure, exposed to three combined Cu/Zn concentrations in the laboratory. In the field, MT concentration, and cytochrome CYP1…
Effects of earthworms on decomposition and metal availability in contaminated soil: Microcosm studies of populations with different exposure histories
Abstract Population-specific differences in the responses of earthworms to simultaneous exposure to Cu and Zn were studied in microcosm experiments. Two populations of Aporrectodea caliginosa tuberculata (Eisen) with different metal exposure histories were chosen for the studies. Microcosms were prepared containing either uncontaminated soil or soils with low or high combined Cu/Zn -concentrations (79/139 or 178/311 mg kg −1 dry mass of soil, respectively). Earthworms from each population were introduced to the microcosm treatments with some microcosms serving as controls without earthworms. One series of microcosms was destructively sampled after 16 weeks incubation in a climate chamber. S…
Earthworm responses to metal contamination : tools for soil quality assessment
Tuomas Lukkari tutki väitöstyössään kuinka haitta-aineet, esimerkkinä metallit, vaikuttavat ympäristöömme ja sen eliöihin. Lukkari selvitti lieroista mitattavien muuttujien avulla, kuinka haitallisia metallit ovat ja miten haitallisuutta olisi hyvä arvioida. Lierot ovat monien maaekosysteemien avaineliöryhmiä ja altistuvat maahan päätyville haitallisille aineille sekä ravinnon että suoraan ihokontaktin kautta. Useimpien haitta-aineiden pitoisuudet ovat mitattavissa lierojen kehosta, mikä antaa tietoa todellisesta altistuksesta ja aineiden kertymistaipumuksesta. Responses of earthworms to soil metal contamination were studied in field and laboratory experiments. In the field, earthworm commu…
Effects of heavy metals on earthworms along contamination gradients in organic rich soils.
Earthworm communities and metal (bio)availability to earthworms along contamination gradients was studied in order to support chemical analyses in risk assessment of metal contaminated soils. Earthworms were sampled in three metal contaminated areas with different habitat and soil properties in Finland. Earthworm and soil samples were collected at three distances (1, 2, and 4 km) from the emission sources. Earthworms were identified as to species and analyzed for heavy metals. Total soil metal concentrations were analyzed using an ultrasound-assisted extraction method and bioavailable metal fraction was estimated by acetic acid extraction. In two of the three areas studied, heavy metal conc…
Avoidance of Cu- and Zn-contaminated soil by three ecologically different earthworm species
Earthworm avoidance response to soils contaminated with harmful substances has been proposed as a potential tool for assessing soil toxicity with low test effort. In the present study, the objective was to find out whether three ecologically different earthworm species, Aporrectodea tuberculata (Eisen), Lumbricus rubellus (Hoffmeister), and Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny), avoid soils simultaneously spiked with Cu and Zn. In addition, metal-contaminated field soil taken close to a Cu-Ni smelter was tested with A. tuberculata using a two-section avoidance lest procedure. All three earthworm species clearly avoided Cu/Zn contaminated soil but differently: D. octaedra was the most sensitive spe…
Toxicity of copper and zinc assessed with three different earthworm tests
Abstract At present, standardised earthworm acute toxicity and reproduction tests are used to assess the toxicity of heavy metal contaminated soils. These tests are, however, time-consuming, laborious and costly, and in addition, some sublethal responses may remain overlooked. Avoidance of metal contaminated soils by earthworms may be a useful parameter when assessing ecological risks with a low test effort. The objective of the present study was to find out whether the earthworm Aporrectodea tuberculata avoids soils simultaneously contaminated with Cu and Zn, and whether earlier exposure to metal-polluted soil affects its avoidance response. The aim was also to compare the sensitivity of t…