What is Earthworms and soil contaminants?
Earthworms are well-known for their importance in the soil macrofauna biomass. They play a crucial role in soil formation by digesting organic matter, fragmenting it, and combining it in close proximity with soil mineral particles to produce water-stable aggregates. The ability of earthworms to bioaccumulate is very important for a bio-monitoring organism. As a result, the earthworm is likely to be a good fit for this purpose.
Because of its sensitivity and availability for unknown metabolites, a bio-monitoring approach would be suited for evaluating metal toxicity. As bio-monitors, organisms such as fish, snails, and plants have been used. Although this method is beneficial and promising, it is also limiting in that it may only be applicable to a specific mix of living organisms and certain substances. As a result, finding appropriate living creatures as bio-monitors for each sort of assessment is critical. The earthworm is a suitable bio-monitor organism for soil contaminants, according to recent researches, because it plays an essential part in the soil macrofauna biomass.
Metals' Effects on Earthworms
Earthworms have been suggested as a potential soil contaminant bio-monitoring organism. The effects of various chemical contaminants on earthworms have been investigated in order to build a bio-monitoring system employing earthworms.
Natural and depleted uranium build-up in earthworms has little influence on mortality or weight loss, however cytotoxic and genetic consequences have been observed at very low natural uranium concentrations. Methyl mercury may be more easily absorbed and stored in earthworms than other metals, making the earthworm an attractive option for methyl mercury monitoring. Earthworms could be utilised as an indicator of metal availability in the environment. Metal pollution, on the other hand, is said to have had little effect on earthworm colonies.
The effects on earthworms due to various contaminants is briefly presented below:
|
|
Chemical agents |
Effects |
Cd |
Bioaccumulation |
Cd and Cu |
A minor loss of weight |
Cd and Ni |
In earthworms, Cd accumulates and forms 8-oxoguanine, but Ni did not. |
Cu and ciprofloxacin (CIP) |
Cu may be partially absorbed by earthworms as Cu-CIP complexes I, affecting Cu bioavailability, subcellular distribution, and toxicity. |
Pb. and Zn |
In the posterior alimentary canal, accumulated. |
Mercury |
In earthworms, mercury was predominantly found in inorganic forms. In earthworms, the bioaccumulation values of methyl mercury from soil were significantly higher than those of total mercury. |
TiO2 |
The cuticle, intestinal epithelium, and chloragogenous tissue had a higher apoptotic frequency than the longitudinal and circular musculature. |
Azodrin |
Changes in morphology and AChE activity as a function of concentration |
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers |
Bioaccumulation |
Metalaxyl |
Metalaxyl is quickly digested by earthworms, and its bioaccumulation is enantioselective, with the S-enantiomer accumulating preferentially. |
Conclusion:
Finally, agro pesticide-exposed earthworms' growth and reproductive parameters appear to be useful bioindicators of soil pollution.
The table above shows that pesticides and pollutants have a negative impact on earthworm development and reproduction. Some studies also indicate that microorganisms in the soil help degrade the chemicals. So, there is a need to acquire more knowledge on the chemical nature, mode of action, and means of degradation of pesticides and pollutants in soil, so that harm caused to soil fauna as well as to organisms higher up in the food chain and can be minimized.
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