Soil moisture influences the avoidance behavior of invertebrate species in anthropogenic metal(loid)-contaminated soils

Effects of climate conditions on the avoidance behavior of Folsomia candida and Enchytraeus crypticus towards metal(loid)-contaminated soils

“…The concentrations of total and exchangeable (extracted with 0.01 M CaCl2) metal(loid)s (Al, As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn) were high in both test soils (Table S1, Supplementary material). A complete description of the characterization of both test soils is provided by González-Alcaraz et al (2019).…”

“…After 48 h, a removable plastic split (~ 1 mm thickness) was placed in the soil midline between both sections and the number of surviving organisms in each test container section was recorded: F. candida (simultaneous addition of water to both container sections, gentle soil agitation and count of organisms by eye); E. crypticus (soil transfer to 250 μm sieves, water addition to removing soil particles and count of organisms by eye). For more details on the procedure see González-Alcaraz et al (2019).…”

“…They possess sensory organs (chemical, mechanical) that allow them to detect and escape from unfavorable and/or harmful soil conditions (Slifer and Sekhon, 1978;Moment and Johnson, 1979;Edwards and Bohlen, 1992;Curry and Schmidt, 2007). Avoidance behavior varies among invertebrate species and may depend on multiple factors: i) organism development stage (e.g., juveniles or adults); ii) organism mode of life traits (e.g., physiological, morphological and behavioral traits); iii) soil characteristics (e.g., texture, pH, salinity, organic matter, nutrients availability); iv) contaminants presence in the system and their availability; v) climate conditions (e.g., different temperature, moisture level) (Boyd et al, 2002;Loureiro et al, 2005;Lukkari and Haimi, 2005;Natal-da-Luz et al, 2008;Chelinho et al, 2014;Gainer et al, 2019;González-Alcaraz et al, 2019). The vast majority of studies have been focused on the characteristics of invertebrates and/or the soil environment.…”

“…To our knowledge, so far, only two studies have evaluated the possible effects of climate conditions on the avoidance behavior of soil invertebrates (Lobe et al, 2018;González-Alcaraz et al, 2019). Lobe et al (2018) found that heat stress may influence the avoidance behavior of Enchytraeus albidus towards silver nitrate and silver nanoparticles.…”

“…Lobe et al (2018) found that heat stress may influence the avoidance behavior of Enchytraeus albidus towards silver nitrate and silver nanoparticles. As for González-Alcaraz et al (2019), the authors showed that the capacity of Folsomia candida and Enchytraeus crypticus to avoid metal(loid)-contaminated soils might be compromised under water stress situations (high and low soil water availability due to intense rainfalls/floods and dry spells, respectively) and that this behavioral shift may be related to changes in the composition of the soil pore water. Both studies were developed modifying the climate conditions (air temperature and soil moisture content, respectively) recommended by the existing standardized ISO guidelines to evaluate invertebrate avoidance behavior (ISO, 2008(ISO, , 2011.…”