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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 uptake and elimination in the earthworms and body concentrations did not reach equilibrium within 21 days. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF) were low for Cu and Cr (

Chromated 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 was not possible to analyze the mixture effects on earthworm survival with the MIXTOX model. EC50s for effects of Cu, Cr and As on earthworm reproduction, based on total soil concentrations, were 154, 449 and 9.1 mg/kg dry soil, respectively. Effects of mixtures were mainly antagonistic when related to the CA model but additive related to the IA model. This was the case when mixture effects were based on total and H2O-extractable concentrations; when based on CaCl2-extractable concentrations effects mainly were additive related to the CA model except for the Cr–As mixture which acted antagonistically. These results suggest that the CCA components do interact leading to a reduced toxicity when present in a mixture.

The relevance of laboratory tests on toxicants for field situations is often disputed given that laboratory tests are conducted under, next to the toxicant stress, optimal conditions which are not expected in field situations. In this paper we confront the results of laboratory tests on growth, reproduction and survival of earthworms, in a polluted and a reference field soil with a field inventory of earthworms. The field inventory includes population density, biomass and demographic composition in life stages measured monthly over a period of one year. The field inventory showed that density and biomass was higher at the polluted field site, a result in conflict with the extrapolation of the laboratory tests that showed a decrease in population growth rate by 23% at this site compared to the reference. The field inventory and laboratory derived results agreed in the demographic composition of the population with more individuals in the younger age class at the polluted site compared to the reference. Abiotic and biotic conditions that differ between sites and could possibly explain the lower earthworm biomass and density at the reference site are discussed. We suggest that predation by the two to five times higher densities of meadow birds in spring may have caused the lower density and biomass of earthworms at the reference site.

In freshly deposited dredged sediment contaminated with PAHs, we followed the colonization of earthworm species by monthly monitoring over two years. Already five months after deposition the first species, Lumbricus castaneus, appeared, although only temporarily. The first permanent colonizing species was L. rubellus, soon followed by Aporrectodea caliginosa and L. castaneus, and a few months later Eiseniella tetraeda. At the end of the two-year observation period some first few specimen of Allolobophora rosea were present. These earthworm species colonized the deposited sediment apparently in succession. The colonization of each individual species did not show a gradual influx from the bordering dikes at both sides of the deposit, but a fast colonization over the whole width, presumably by surface dispersal, although at low and variable numbers, followed by a gradual increase of population numbers. Modeling the dispersal showed that diffusion was the primary driving factor. Also juvenile earthworms were observed locally in high numbers, so reproduction did occur. Total earthworm numbers in the deposit reached a maximum of 80% of the numbers in the bordering dikes consisting of loamy and clayey soils. Numbers were highest in periods with warm and rainy weather. The appearance of earthworms improved the soil development, stimulated a faster desiccation and aeration of the sediment and may have contributed to the increased degradation of PAHs, especially three- and four-ring PAHs. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Summary Knowledge of the effects of species diversity within taxonomic groups on nutrient cycling is important for understanding the role of soil biota in sustainable agriculture. We hypothesized that earthworm species specifically affect nitrogen mineralization, characteristically for their ecological group classifications, and that earthworm species interactions would affect mineralization through competition and facilitation effects. A mesocosm experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of three earthworm species, representative of different ecological groups (epigeic: Lumbricus rubellus; endogeic: Aporrectodea caliginosa tuberculata; and anecic: Lumbricus terrestris), and their interactions on the bacterial community, and on nitrogen mineralization from 15N-labelled crop residue and from soil organic matter. Our results indicate that L. rubellus and L. terrestris enhanced mineralization of the applied crop residue whereas A. caliginosa had no effect. On the other hand, L. rubellus and A. caliginosa enhanced mineralization of the soil organic matter, whereas L. terrestris had no effect. The interactions between different earthworm species affected the bacterial community and the net mineralization of soil organic matter. The two-species interactions between L. rubellus and A. caliginosa, and L. rubellus and L. terrestris, resulted in reduced mineral N concentrations derived from soil organic matter, probably through increased immobilization in the bacterial biomass. In contrast, the interaction between A. caliginosa and L. terrestris resulted in increased bacterial growth rate and reduced total soil C. When all three species were combined, the interaction between A. caliginosa and L. terrestris was dominant. We conclude that the effects of earthworms on nitrogen mineralization depend on the ecological traits of the earthworm species present, and can be modified by species interactions. Knowledge of these effects can be made useful in the prevention of nutrient losses and increased soil fertility in agricultural systems, that typically have a low earthworm diversity.

Earthworms dominate the animal biomass in moist floodplain soils. They are known to survive long periods in aerated water, but little is known about earthworm population dynamics in floodplain systems with changing inundation frequencies. This study determined earthworm population dynamics in a floodplain system, in relation to frequency and duration of flooding events. From October 2000 to May 2003 earthworms were hand sorted in the 'Afferdensche en Deestsche Waarden', a floodplain on the south bank of the river Rhine, near Druten, The Netherlands. Earthworm numbers and biomasses per age class (adult, subadult, juvenile) were recorded. Numbers and biomasses tend to decrease during flooding. Lumbricus terrestris was found in high numbers (>10/m2) only at the end of a flooding period. Allolobophora chlorotica was hardly affected by flooding; their biomass remained stable during the year. Aporrectodea caliginosa showed fluctuating numbers and biomasses during the sampling period that did not correlate with flooding frequency. Numbers and biomasses of Lumbricus rubellus were strongly reduced at the end of each flooding event, but their population densities fully recovered until next flooding event. Earthworm populations in floodplains fluctuate in time, depending on the season and on the time, duration and frequency of flooding. Different earthworm species react differently towards these flooding dynamics. © 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The term ‘critical body residue’ (CBR) was defined as the lowest observed total body concentration of a contaminant in an organism, which is associated with the occurrence of adverse toxic effects in either individuals or populations of a defined age or stage of development. In this study, internal toxicity thresholds were determined for copper in the clitellated adult stage of earthworms ( Lumbricus rubellus and Aporrectodea caliginosa ). The objective was to assess the applicability of CBRs as a practical tool in soil quality assessment of contaminated sites and as a means of a sustainable protection of earthworm fauna. Laboratory studies showed that body concentrations of Cu were generally in agreement with the chemically available CaCl 2 -extractable fraction in soil, but that there was also some evidence of internal pH-related homeostatic regulation. Toxicological correlates of body Cu concentrations with adverse effects on cocoon production (fecundity) suggested an approximate sublethal internal threshold of about 40 mg kg −1 , with mortality occurring at about 60 mg kg −1 . Adult L. rubellus sampled from areas with a wide range of metal pollution showed body Cu concentrations with a minimum of 8 mg kg −1 and a maximum of 60 mg kg −1 . Beyond this apparent physiological tolerance range, environmental management directed at optimal earthworm population survival may not be sustainable in contaminated fields. Studies of L. rubellus colonizing a metal-contaminated experimental sludge-treated field showed that a reduced rate of colonization can already be associated with an average body Cu concentration of 25 mg kg −1 . However, in this particular field situation mixture effects of other metals that were also present in the soil and the occurrence of avoidance behaviour during colonization may have contributed to this low internal toxicity threshold. It is concluded that the CBR approach seems to be a feasible option for use as a tool in a bioavailability-based soil quality assessment, even for essential trace metals like copper, but that further insight may be needed to establish the uncertainty and reliability of the application in environmental quality assessment and decision making.

The important role of earthworms in the biomagnification of heavy metals in terrestrial ecosystems is widely recognised. Differences in earthworm biomass between sites is mostly not accounted for in ecological risk assessment. These differences may be large depending on soil properties and pollution status. A survey of earthworm biomass and colonisation rate was carried out on dredged sediment-derived soils (DSDS). Results were compared with observations for the surrounding alluvial plains. Mainly grain size distribution and time since disposal determined earthworm biomass on DSDS, while soil pollution status of the DSDS was of lesser importance. Highest earthworm biomass was observed on sandy loam DSDS disposed at least 40 years ago.

Earthworm activity is known to increase emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) from arable soils. Earthworm gut, casts, and burrows have exhibited higher denitrification activities than the bulk soil, implicating priming of denitrifying organisms as a possible mechanism for this effect. Furthermore, the earthworm feeding strategy may drive N 2 O emissions, as it determines access to fresh organic matter for denitrification. Here, we determined whether interactions between earthworm feeding strategy and the soil denitrifier community can predict N 2 O emissions from the soil. We set up a 90-day mesocosm experiment in which 15 N-labeled maize ( Zea mays L.) was either mixed in or applied on top of the soil in the presence or absence of the epigeic earthworm Lumbricus rubellus and/or the endogeic earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa . We measured N 2 O fluxes and tested the bulk soil for denitrification enzyme activity and the abundance of 16S rRNA and denitrifier genes nirS and nosZ through real-time quantitative PCR. Compared to the control, L. rubellus increased denitrification enzyme activity and N 2 O emissions on days 21 and 90 (day 21, P = 0.034 and P = 0.002, respectively; day 90, P = 0.001 and P = 0.007, respectively), as well as cumulative N 2 O emissions (76%; P = 0.014). A. caliginosa activity led to a transient increase of N 2 O emissions on days 8 to 18 of the experiment. Abundance of nosZ was significantly increased (100%) on day 90 in the treatment mixture containing L. rubellus alone. We conclude that L. rubellus increased cumulative N 2 O emissions by affecting denitrifier community activity via incorporation of fresh residue into the soil and supplying a steady, labile carbon source.

This paper reviews the role of earthworms in the early colonisation of contaminated soils as well as sediment and waste deposits, which are worm-free because of anthropogenic activities such as open-cast mining, soil sterilisation, consistent pollution or remediation of contaminated soil. Earthworms live in close interaction with their soil environment and are able to change it considerably by their burrowing and litter comminuting behaviour. While earthworms have been studied extensively, several questions still remain unanswered such as: What are the characteristics of successful early colonisers? Do they function well in dispersal, individual establishment or population growth? Do the negative environmental conditions in these kinds of anthropogenic soils hamper colonization or are these colonizers relatively resistant to it? To what extent does colonization change the characteristics of the colonized substrate? In short, do earthworms impact the soil? In this paper, the characteristics that make earthworms successful colonisers are briefly described as well as which species are the most successful and under what circumstances, and what do earthworms contribute to the total process of succession. We propose that it is not so much eco-type or r-K strategy that govern success and succession of earthworm colonisation but rather environmental flexibility not only towards pH, desiccation, and temperature but also towards contaminants such as heavy metals. Moreover, the formation of an organic litter layer, in close connection with re-vegetation of the area, is essential for establishing earthworm populations, which, at first, are mainly superficially and shallow active species. The burrowing and organic matter digesting activity of these earthworms changes the upper soil to a well mixed humus layer suitable for deep burrowing earthworm species.

In industrialized countries river floodplains can be strongly polluted with heavy metals. Published studies on effects of heavy metal pollution on soil invertebrates in floodplains, however, are inconclusive. This is unexpected since studies in other less dynamic environments reported clear effects at even lower levels of pollution. Flooding induces extra variation in invertebrate biomass and abundance which may reduce the probability to detect heavy metal effects. In this paper we combine reported data from studies on river floodplains in The Netherlands and Belgium and statistically analyze the effect of heavy metals on species composition, biomass, density and individual weight of earthworms. Interaction effects of heavy metal stress and flooding are also considered. The results suggest clear effects of zinc and copper on all variables and interaction of heavy metals and flooding for individual weight. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We investigated the accumulation of copper (Cu) by the springtail Folsomia candida Willem, if exposed to Cu-contaminated sandy soil with yeast as a food source. Commonly, the dissolved and the easily desorbed Cu fractions are assumed to be available for uptake, and as both fractions depend on pH, a pH dependency of copper uptake and accumulation is expected. In recent studies with springtails this dependency was not observed. To explain this, we show that both the adsorption of copper by yeast and by soil is indeed pH dependent; however, these dependencies differ. Addition of yeast as a food source to copper-contaminated soil leads to competition for copper by yeast and soil that suppresses the pH dependency of copper adsorption by yeast. This may cause a pH dependency not to be observed in copper accumulation by springtails if they predominantly feed on yeast in bioassays. We conclude that the addition of artificial food sources in bioassays may affect the cause-effect relationships that are investigated. A combination of (soil) chemical experimentation and modeling and ecotoxicological studies may help in identifying such bias and, therefore, with interpreting bioassays.