Uptake and toxicity of copper and zinc for the African earthworm,Eudrilus eugeniae (Oligochaeta)

Reinecke, A. J.; Reinecke, S. A.; Lambrechts, H.

doi:10.1007/bf01420216

Cited by 30 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…It is postulated that one or more of the subcellular fractions thus identified may serve as an improved indicator of copper-induced stress. In line with the principles underlying the BLM approach we state that metal uptake by earthworms takes place predominantly via the aqueous phase (14)(15)(16). The aim of our study is to assess the interaction between stress induced by the presence of copper in the pore water, and soil-related stresses as affected by pH.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Impact of pH on Cu Accumulation Kinetics in Earthworm Cytosol

Vijver

Koster

Peijnenburg

2007

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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We studied the interaction between toxic stress and accumulation in the earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa, as induced by different soil copper pools and soil constituents (especially pH). Earthworms were exposed in quartz sand, spiked soils, and field soils with different Cu concentrations and varying soil composition. The copper content in the earthworms was determined in the following: the cytosolic fraction, a granular fraction and a fraction consisting of tissue fragments, cell membranes and intact cells. The highest amount of Cu was found in the cytosolic fraction. The other fractions varied only slightly in response to changes in any of the copper pools in soil. Cytosolic copper was the best predictor of Cu availability to earthworms collected from soils at constant pH, as statistically significant correlations were obtained with pore water pCu at constant pH in earthworms exposed in quartz sand. This correlation was lost for cytosolic Cu concentrations in earthworms exposed to spiked soils and field soils at differing pHs. Instead, cytosolic copper correlated well to Cu in either pore water or solid phase. Soil pH not only plays an important role in the availability of metals and therefore on their uptake fluxes, but internal competition of Cu2+ and H+ at physiologically active binding sites also explained these apparent contradictions and increased the predictability of body burdens significantly.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Impact of pH on Cu Accumulation Kinetics in Earthworm Cytosol

Vijver

Koster

Peijnenburg

2007

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…It is often assumed that diffusion of metal ions through the body wall forms the major route of metal uptake by earthworms [3,18]. Dermal uptake can be described by the equilibrium partitioning theory [19,20], presuming a direct relationship between the earthworm tissue concentration and the free metal concentration in pore water.…”

Section: Metal Uptake Routesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cadmium Uptake by Earthworms as Related to the Availability in the Soil and the Intestine

Osté¹,

Dolfing²,

Ma³

et al. 2001

Environ Toxicol Chem

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The free metal concentration in the soil solution is often considered a key parameter for metal uptake by and toxicity to soft-bodied soil organisms. The equilibrium partitioning theory, which assumes a relationship between the contaminant concentration in pore water and the contaminant concentration in the body tissue, can be used to describe uptake by earthworms. This theory has proved useful for organic chemicals, but its applicability is less clear for metals. In this study, the Cd concentration in soil pore water (pw) was varied by increasing the soil pH by the addition of lime (Ca(OH)2) and by adding manganese oxide (MnO2), which has a high metal binding capacity. Both lime (0.135% w/w) and MnO2 (1% w/w) decreased [Cd2+]pw by a factor of 25, while Cdworm was reduced only by a factor of 1.3 in lime-treated soils and 2.5 in MnO2-treated soils. Cadmium uptake was weakly related to the free metal concentration (R2adj = 0.66). Adding pH as an explanatory variable increased R2adj to 0.89, indicating that Cd uptake from pore water is pH dependent, which might be attributed to competition of protons and Cd at the surface of the earthwororm body. However, previous earthworm experiments in reconstituted groundwater showed a conspicuously smaller pH dependency of Cd uptake. The differences in metal uptake between earthworms in lime- and MnO2-treated soils are therefore more likely to reflect the predominance of pH-independent intestinal uptake of Cd. Equilibrating the soil with a solution of 0.01 M CaCl2 and 0.1 M triethanolamine (buffered at pH 7.2), simulating the conditions prevailing in the worm intestine, yielded free Cd concentrations that were closely (R2adj = 0.83) and linearly related to the Cd concentration in the earthworm tissue.

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“…Sources of man-made Cu contamination include the application of sewage sludge to land, mine operations, industrial wastes, and Cucontaining fungicide applications [5]. Heavy metal pollution resulting from mining activities may affect the biodiversity, abundance, and distribution of soil invertebrates [6], and possible synergistic effects from mixtures of contaminants in the field complicate evaluation of the bioavailability of individual compounds. Scott-Fordsmand et al [7] have suggested that the bioavailability of Cu is in part dependent on exposure time to contaminants in soils.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resistance to Copper Toxicity in Populations of the Earthworms Lumbricus Rubellus and Dendrodrilus Rubidus From Contaminated Mine Wastes

Langdon¹,

Piearce²,

Meharg³

et al. 2001

Environ Toxicol Chem

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Two arsenic and heavy metal-contaminated mine spoil sites, at Carrock Fell, Cumbria, United Kingdom, and Devon Great Consols Mine, Devon, United Kingdom, have been found to support populations of the earthworms Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister and Dendrodrilus rubidus (Savigny). Lumbricus rubellus and D. rubidus collected from the Devon site and an uncontaminated site were kept for 28 d in uncontaminated soil and in soil containing 750 mg/kg CuCl2, the state of the specimens being recorded using a semiquantitative assessment of earthworm health (condition index). The condition index remained high for all specimens except those of L. rubellus and D. rubidus from uncontaminated sites, which displayed 100% mortality. Bioavailability of Cu in the soils from one uncontaminated and two contaminated sites and in the uncontaminated soil treated with CuCl2 was determined using sequential extraction. Soils from Devon Great Consols had the greatest availability of Cu, Carrock Fell the lowest. Total tissue Cu for L. rubellus and D. rubidus from the contaminated sites did not change significantly for each species during the experiment. Total tissue concentrations of Cu for L. rubellus and D. rubidus from uncontaminated sites increased significantly during the first 7 d, after which mortality was 90%, making it impossible to continue the analysis.

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Uptake and toxicity of copper and zinc for the African earthworm,Eudrilus eugeniae (Oligochaeta)

Cited by 30 publications

References 18 publications

Impact of pH on Cu Accumulation Kinetics in Earthworm Cytosol

Impact of pH on Cu Accumulation Kinetics in Earthworm Cytosol

Cadmium Uptake by Earthworms as Related to the Availability in the Soil and the Intestine

Resistance to Copper Toxicity in Populations of the Earthworms Lumbricus Rubellus and Dendrodrilus Rubidus From Contaminated Mine Wastes

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