Impact of soil metals on earthworm communities from the perspectives of earthworm ecotypes and metal bioaccumulation

Reproductive damage and compensation of wild earthworm Metaphire californica from contaminated fields with long-term heavy metal exposure

“…1) were located in the "hometown of nonferrous metals", Hengyang City, Hunan Province, the subtropical areas of southern China. These sites showed different distances away from mining or tailing areas with over 30 years of pollution history, which were all confirmed as long-term observing and sampling points by our field survey studies began in 2018 (Huang et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2018b;Wang et al, 2018c).…”

“…Heavy metals are one of the most consistent and ubiquitous pollutants posing significant ecological risks and therefore requiring careful consideration (Wu et al, 2022). Once entering the environment, nonbiodegradable metals can be bioaccumulated, transferred to trophic levels, cause biological toxicity, and eventually interfere with normal biogenesis and public health (Huang et al, 2020;Yaashikaa et al, 2022). Consequently, using terrestrial and aquatic organisms (like earthworms and zebrafishes) to carry out metal risk assessments is always the foreword research in environmental science and toxicology (Chen et al, 2021;Sivakumar, 2015).…”

“…Accordingly, it is of importance to J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f investigate the reproductive damage as well as the strategy of organisms under longterm stress from in-situ exposure. Our previous studies reported a wild oligochaete earthworm Metaphire californica exposed to heavy metal contaminations over several decades, possessed more considerable population dominance, bioaccumulation, and better detoxification capacity, especially for Cd resistance and detoxification in comparison to other wild species, providing an advisable research candidate (Huang et al, 2021b;Huang et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2018a).…”

Ecological adaptation of earthworms for coping with plant polyphenols, heavy metals, and microplastics in the soil: A review

“…A study demonstrated the effect of HMs on the biomass of earthworms by collecting 292 individuals belonging to thirty species and subjecting them to different concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd. The result showed that both the total density and biomass of earthworms were greatly reduced [ 48 ]. Other researchers also evaluated the effects of combined pollution of typical neonicotinoid insecticide and HMs on the status of oxidative activity of earthworms, growth rate, and DNA.…”

Ecotoxicological Evaluation of Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) Induced by Enrofloxacin and Di-(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate

“…As soil animals, earthworms are essential components of ecosystems, accounting for a staggering 60% of soil animal biomass [21]. Earthworms are one of the most important components of soil biodecomposition, with the ability to modify soil, digest organic matter and promote decomposition reactions, and are known as "ecosystem engineers," playing a huge role in maintaining and improving soil ecology [22,23].…”