Search results for "Earthworm"
showing 10 items of 54 documents
Polychlorinated phenols and their metabolites in soil and earthworms of sawmill environment
1990
Abstract Topsoil and earthworm samples collected from three Finnish sawmill environments were analysed for polychlorinated phenols, 2,3,4,6-tetrachloro- and pentachlorophenol, and their metabolites. Analyses were carried out by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using a selected ion monitoring technique and by dual-channel gas chromatography using quartz capillary columns and two electron capture detectors. The total chlorophenol concentrations ranged from ca. 260 to 480 μg/g (dry weight) in soil and from ca. 140 to 3500 μg/g fat in earthworms. The most important metabolites in soil were chlorinated dihydroxy-benzenes (also at ppm level); only traces of chlorinated anisoles were detected …
Toxicity of binary mixtures of Cu, Cr and As to the earthworm Eisenia andrei
2020
AbstractChromated copper arsenate (CCA) mixtures were used in the past for wood preservation, leading to large scale soil contamination. This study aimed at contributing to the risk assessment of CCA-contaminated soils by assessing the toxicity of binary mixtures of copper, chromium and arsenic to the earthworm Eisenia andrei in OECD artificial soil. Mixture effects were related to reference models of Concentration Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA) using the MIXTOX model, with effects being related to total and available (H2O and 0.01 M CaCl2 extractable) concentrations in the soil. Since only in mixtures with arsenic dose-related mortality occurred (LC50 92.5 mg/kg dry soil), it wa…
An uptake and elimination kinetics approach to assess the bioavailability of chromium, copper, and arsenic to earthworms (Eisenia andrei) in contamin…
2019
The aim of this study was to determine the bioavailability of metals in field soils contaminated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) mixtures. The uptake and elimination kinetics of chromium, copper, and arsenic were assessed in the earthworm Eisenia andrei exposed to soils from a gradient of CCA wood preservative contamination near Hartola, Finland. In soils contaminated with 1480–1590 mg Cr/kg dry soil, 642–791 mg Cu/kg dry soil, and 850–2810 mg Ag/kg dry soil, uptake and elimination kinetics patterns were similar for Cr and Cu. Both metals were rapidly taken up and rapidly excreted by Eisenia andrei with equilibrium reached within 1 day. The metalloid As, however, showed very slow uptak…
Biomarker responses of the earthworm Aporrectodea tuberculata to copper and zinc exposure: differences between populations with and without earlier m…
2003
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…
Global data on earthworm abundance, biomass, diversity and corresponding environmental properties
2021
Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provided directly by authors, were collated with information on site locations, including coordinates, habitat cover, and soil properties. Datasets were required, at a minimum, to include abundance or biomass of earthworms at a site. Where possible, site-level species lists were included, as well as the abundance and biomass of individual species and ec…
Soil microbial biomass carbon and fatty acid composition of earthworm Lumbricus rubellus after exposure to engineered nanoparticles
2014
none 6 no First Online: 14 October 2014 The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) on soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and on earthworm Lumbricus rubellus. An artificial soil was incubated for 4 weeks with earthworms fed with vegetable residues contaminated by NPs, consisting of Ag, Co, Ni and TiO2. After the treatments, soils were analysed for MBC and total and water soluble metal-NPs, whereas earthworms were purged for 28 days and then analysed for fatty acids (FAs) and total metal-NPs. Longitudinal sections of earthworms were investigated by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS),…
Short-term effects of wood ants (Formica aquilonia Yarr.) on soil animal community structure
1999
Abstract Wood ants are known to affect the structure of invertebrate communities in tree canopies but it is not clear whether wood ants can affect the structure of soil animal communities. To isolate the direct effects of wood ants on soil fauna, I manipulated wood ant density in a 6-week mesocosm experiment by placing mesocosms (O 14 cm, height 13.5 cm) permeable to ants either on or outside the ant trails. The mesocosms contained litter, humus, and a diverse soil fauna typical of coniferous forest. I controlled earthworm species composition and biomasses by inoculating 470 mg fresh mass of epigeic lumbricid Dendrobaena octaedra (Sav.) or Dendrodrilus rubidus (Sav.) to the mesocosms. A 15-…
Effect of cobalt and silver nanoparticles and ions on Lumbricus rubellus health and on microbial community of earthworm faeces and soil
2016
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of silver and cobalt, supplied both as ions and nanoparticles (Ag+, Co2+, AgNPs, CoNPs) through contaminated food to earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus), on their health as well as on microbial community of both soil and earthworm faeces. Earthworms and microbes were exposed to the contaminants in laboratory microcosms with artificial soil. Contaminants were supplied once a week for 5 weeks by spiking them on horse manure. The accumulation of CoNPs and Co2+ in earthworm tissues was two and three times greater than AgNPs and Ag+, respectively. Except for AgNPs, contaminants significantly affected microbial community structure of earthworm faece…
Acute toxicity tests using earthworms to estimate ecological quality of compost and digestate
2017
Ecological quality of compost and digestate, used as fertilizers for agricultural use, was assessed through an acute ecotoxicological bioassay testing the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Annelida). The test evaluates the earthworm’s attitude to dig within 15 min into a soil medium constituted by a mixture of a standardized soil and different concentrations of compost/digestate. According to different classes of behavior responses, the sample is classified as good or bad quality (ON/OFF). The validity of this test was confirmed comparing the observations with the results from a standard chronic test developed by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Considering samples fro…
Capacity of various organic residues to support adequate earthworm biomass for vermicomposting
1986
We tested the potential of different kinds and combinations of wastes to support the biomass ofEisenia fetida (Sav.) capable of processing a given amount of waste in a period of ca. 1 month. Mixed miscellaneous wastes and activated sewage sludge mixed with or embedded in sieved pine bark showed capacity to maintain the required biomass for a long period. Wastes were converted into odourless castings of good physical structure, provided that a sufficient population was present from the beginning and fresh waste was added regularly. A horizontally working “worm bed compost” was designed instead of the “load-on-top” principle.