Abstract
Growth rate change in earthworms is considered to be a suitable endpoint when determining sublethal effects. In this study we evaluated growth and maturation in the vermicomposting earthworm speciesEudrilus eugeniae as marker of sublethal toxicity of copper and zinc. We also compared routes of uptake. Apart from exposing worms experimentally for 73 days to contaminated food, a series of contact filter paper tests was also performed to determine LD50 for copper and zinc. Both copper and zinc at sublethal concentrations affected growth and maturation in worms exposed to contaminated food. These worms had a copper content of 34.5 μg g−1 after 73 days and a zinc content of 184.9 μg g−1, showing a differential uptake. Copper was more toxic than zinc. Also in the contact test worms did take up more zinc than copper and the LD50 (48 h) for copper was 0.011 mg cm−2 and for zinc 0.066 mg cm−2, which translated to body burdens of 6 μg g−1 for copper and 131 μg g−1 for zinc. Indications were that a regulatory mechanism existed for both metals. Both metals were taken up through the body wall at a relatively fast rate. This study indicated that the skin was the major route of metal uptake. This study also showed a poor relation between the two types of tests for purposes of evaluating lethality of zinc and copper.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beeby A, Richmond L (1987) Adaptation by an urban population of the mailHelix aspersa to a diet contaminated with lead. Environ Pollut 46:73–82
Bengtsson G, Gunnarsson T, Rundgren S (1986) Effects of metal pollution on the earthwormDendrobaena rubida (Sav) in acidified soils. Water Air Soil Pollut 28:361–383
Callahan CA, Shirazi MA, Neuhauser EF (1994) Comparative toxicity of chemicals to earthworms. Environ Toxicol Chem 13:291–298
Cikutovic MA, Fitzpatrick LC, Venables BJ, Goven AJ (1993) Sperm count in earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) as a biomarker for environmental toxicology: effects of cadmium and chlordane. Environ Pollut 81:123–125
Donker MH, Bogert CG (1991) Adaptation to cadmium in three populations of the isopodPorcellio scaber. Comp Biochem Physiol 100C:143–146
Edwards CA, Coulson JM (1992) Choice of earthworm species for laboratory tests. In Greig-Smith PW, Becker H, Edwards PJ, Heimbach F (eds) Ecotoxicology of earthworms. Intercept, Hants, UK, pp 36–45
Fowler J, Cohen L (1990) Practical statistics for field biology. Open University Press, Philadelphia
Greig-Smith PW (1992) Risk assessment approaches in the UK for the side-effects of pesticides on earthworms. In: Greig-Smith PW Becker H, Edwards PJ, Heimbach F (eds) Ecotoxicology of earthworms. Intercept, Hants, UK, pp 159–168
Greville RW Morgan AJ (1989) Concentrations of metals (Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and Ca) in six species of British terrestrial gastropods living near a disused Pb/Zn mine. J Moll Stud 56:355–362
Heimbach F (1984) Correlation between three different test methods for determining the toxicity of chemicals to earthworms. Pestic Sci 15:605–611
Hopkin SP, Martin MH, Moss SJ (1985) Heavy metals in isopods from the sub-littoral zone on the southern shore of the Severn Estuary, UK. Environ Pollut (Series B) 9:239–254
Hopkin SP (1993) In situ biological monitoring of pollution in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In: Calow P (ed) Handbook of ecotoxicology, vol l, pp 397–427
Ireland MP (1975) Metal content ofDendrobaena rubida (Oligochaeta) in a base metal mining area. Oikos 26:74–79
Ireland MP (1983) Heavy metal uptake and tissue distribution in earthworms. In: Satchell JE (ed) Earthworm ecology: from Darwin to vermiculture. Chapman & Hall, London, pp 247–265
Kokta C (1992) Measuring effects of chemicals in the laboratory: effect criteria and endpoints. In: Greig-Smith PW, Becker H, Edwards PJ, Heimbach F (eds) Ecotoxicology of earthworms. Intercept, Hants, UK, pp 55–62
Lee KE (1985) Earthworms: Their ecology and relationships with soils and land use. Academic Press, Sydney
Ma W-C (1983) Biomonitoring soil pollution: Ecotoxicology studies of the effect of soil-borne heavy metals on lumbricid earthworms. Res Instit Natur Manag Ann Rep, pp 83–97
Ma W-C (1984) Sublethal effects of copper on growth, reproduction and litter breakdown activity in the earthwormLumbricus rubellus, with observations on the influence of temperature and soil pH. Environ Pollut (Series A) 33:207–219
Morgan JE, Morgan AJ (1988) Earthworms as biological monitors of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in metalliferous soils. Environ Pollut 54:123–138
Morgan JE, Morgan AJ, Corp N (1992) Assessing soil metal pollution with earthworms: Indices derived from regression analyses. In: Greig-Smith PW Becker H, Edwards PJ, Heimbach F (eds) Ecotoxicology of earthworms. Intercept, Hants, UK, pp 233–237
Neuhauser EF, Malecki MR, Loehr RC (1984) Growth and reproduction of the earthwormEisenia foetida after exposure to sublethal concentrations of metals. Pedobiologia 27:89–97
Posthuma L (1990) Genetic differentiation between populations ofOrchesella cincta (Collembola) from heavy metal contaminated sites. J Appl Ecol 27:609–622
Reinecke SA, Reinecke AJ (1996a) The influence of lead and managenese on the spermatozoa ofEisenia fetida (Oligochaeta). Soil Biol Biochem (in press)
Reinecke AJ, Reinecke SA (1996b) The influence of heavy metals on the growth and reproduction of the compost wormEisenia fetida (Oligochaeta). Pedobiologia (in Press)
Roberts RD, Johnson MS (1978) Dispersal of heavy metals from abandoned mine workings and their transference through terrestrial food chains. Environ Pollut 16:293–310
Spurgeon DJ, Hopkin SP, Jones DT (1994) Effects of cadmium, lead and zinc on growth and survival of the earthwormEisenia fetida (Savigny): Assessing the environmental impact of point-source metal contamination in terrestrial ecosystems. Environ Pollut 84:123–130
Streit B (1984) Effects of high copper concentrations on soil invertebrates (earthworms and oribatid mites): Experimental results and a model. Oecologia (Berlin) 64:381–388
Van Gestel CAM (1992) The influence of soil characteristics on the toxicity of chemicals for earthworms: a review. In: Greig-Smith PW, Becker H, Edwards PJ, Heimbach F (eds) Ecotoxicology of earthworms. Intercept, Hants, UK, pp 44–54
Van Gestel CAM, van Dis WA (1988) The influence of soil characteristics on the toxicity of four chemicals to the earthwormEisenia fetida andrei (Oligochacta). Biol Fert Soils 6:262–265
Van Straalen NM, Van Gestel CAM (1993) Soil invertebrates and micro-organisms. In: Calow P (ed) Handbook of ecotoxicology, vol 1. Blackwell Scientific Publishers, London, pp 251–277
Van Straalen NM, Verkleij JAC (1993) Leerboek Oecotoxicologie, 2nd edn. VU Uitgeverij, Amsterdam, pp 423
Viljoen SA, Reinecke AJ (1992) A laboratory study of the temperature requirements of the epigeic earthworm species,Eudrilus eugeniae (Oligochaeta). Soil Biol Biochem 24:1345–1350
Viljoen SA, Reinecke AJ (1993) Worm density, growth and cocoon production of the African nightcrawler,Eudrilus eugeniae (Oligochaeta). Eur J Soil Biol 29:29–34
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Reinecke, A.J., Reinecke, S.A. & Lambrechts, H. Uptake and toxicity of copper and zinc for the African earthworm,Eudrilus eugeniae (Oligochaeta). Biol Fert Soils 24, 27–31 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01420216
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01420216