Short- and long-term effects of the endogeic earthworm Millsonia anomala (Omodeo) (Megascolecidæ, Oligochæta) of tropical savannas,on soil organic matter

Summary This study aimed to establish the effects of Millsonia anomala, a tropical geophagous earthworm common in the humid savannas of Lamto (Ivory Coast), on soil organic matter dynamics over different time scales under laboratory conditions. The texture of casts produced by the worms fed on a shrub savanna soil was not significantly different from that of the soil, which showed that M. anomala ingested soil particles without selection. Physical fractionation of soil organic matter showed that the coarse organic fraction (250–2000 m) was depleted by 25–30% in fresh casts compared to the control noningested soil; this was mainly due to a fragmentation of coarse organic debris. Incubation of casts and a 2-mm sieved control soil under laboratory conditions for more than 1 year showed that the C mineralisation rate was almost four times lower in the casts (3% year^-1) than in the control soil (11% year^-1). We therefore concluded that on a long time scale M. anomala populations may significantly reduce the decomposition rate of soil organic matter in Lamto savannas.     

Development of biomarkers inAporrectodea caliginosa andLumbricus rubellus for detecting exposure to benzo[a]pyrene

Objectives and Methods. The sensitivity of two biomarkers, the neutral red retention assay (NRRA) and cytochrome P450 were evaluated in the earthwormAporrectodea caliginosa for their potential to detect exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). Cytochrome P450 was also evaluated in the earthwormLumbricus rubellus, and measured using the substrate ethoxycoumarin. Optimal assay conditions (pH, and temperature) were determined, followed by exposure of earthworms to 20 mg/kg BaP (a typical concentration at contaminated sites in New Zealand). Ethoxycoumarin-O-dealkylase (ECOD) activity was measured after 7, 14, and 21 days exposure. The NRRA was evaluated in earthworms exposed to 0.2, 20, and 100 mg BaP/kg, and biomarker responses were compared with effects on body weight. Results and Discussion Benzo[a]pyrene failed to induce ECOD activity in either earthworm species, and therefore it is not useful as a biomarker of BaP exposure and was not evaluated further. In all cases, the NRRA was significantly affected in the absence of any effects on earthworm body weight, indicating that this assay can detect exposure to BaP at a range of concentrations comparable to those found at contaminated sites. The NRRA should be linked to reproductive endpoints, then it can be used as an early warning indicator of adverse effects. Establishing biomarker stability under environmental conditions is an important step in biomarker development. Therefore, the effects of soil type (sandy soil, silt loam, and a clay soil), moisture content (15–30%), and temperature (5–20°) on the NRRA were determined. In all cases, there was no effect on the NRRA, indicating that this assay is very stable under varying environmental conditions. Conclusion and Outlook In conclusion, cytochrome P450 activity does not appear to be a useful indicator of PAH exposure in eitherA. caliginosa or L.rubellus, and due to the inherently low activity, it is not suitable as a routine biomarker for detecting environmental contamination by these compounds. In contrast, the NRRA in the earthworm A.caliginosa is a promising indicator of PAH exposure at the concentrations likely to be found in contaminated sites in New Zealand, and therefore has potential for evaluating these contaminated sites. If the NRRA can be linked to ecologically important life-cycle endpoints, such as reproduction, then it could be used as an early warning indicator of adverse effects at contaminated sites, i.e., by measuring biomarker responses in earthworms from a ‘contaminated area’ and comparing these with earthworms from a matched control area.     

Increase in the Nitrogen Content of Soil by the Introduction of Earthworms into Soil

The contribution of an earthworm species ( Amynthas vittatus ) to the increase of the nitrogen content of soil was examined. Three specimens of adult earthworms were introduced into 300 g of soil (Gray Lowland soil, silty clay) supplemented with 1% carboxymethyl cellulose in a container and incubated for 32 d at 22°C in the dark. The contents of total-N, NH₄-N and NO₃-N, and the population of aerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil significantly increased after incubation with the earthworms, while the natural abundance of ¹⁵N (δ¹⁵N) in soil decreased. The amount of nitrogen in the earthworms did not decrease during the incubation in the microcosm. Both acetylene reduction activity of the microcosm and incorporation of ¹⁵N to soil from atmospheric ¹⁵N₂ were significantly enhanced by the introduction of the earthworms into soil, though the observed increment of nitrogen in soil was much higher than the estimated one based on the nitrogen-fixing activity. The results obtained in the present study indicated that the earthworms increased the nitrogen content of soil, presumably due to the enhancement of the nitrogen-fixing activity of the soil from the microcosm by the earthworms.     

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of gut bacterial community for the Japanese earthworms

The gut bacterial community structure for Pheretima hilgendorfi and P. heteropoda (Family Megascolecidae), and Allolobophora japonica (Family Lumbricidae) collected from agricultural grasslands in Japan was analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments (PCR-DGGE) and compared with those in the surrounding soils. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles indicated that each earthworm species had their own specific bacterial communities, and multidimentional scaling analysis grouped the DGGE profiles into three groups: gut samples from P. hilgendorfi and P. heteropoda, gut samples from A. japonica and samples from the surrounding soils. Nine dominant bands were identified by their direct sequencing and cloning. Major three bands from P. hilgendorfi and P. heteropoda were closely related to Bacillus species belonging to the phylum Firmicutes. Major four and two bands from A. japonica were closely related to the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, respectively.     

Soil fertility in three cropping systems after conversion from conventional to organic farming

Abstract

Temporal changes in the scores of selected soil fertility indices were studied over six years in three different cases of organic crop rotation located in southern, eastern and central Norway. The cropping history and the initial scores of fertility indices prior to conversion to organic cropping differed between the sites. Crop yields, regarded as an overall, integrating fertility indicator, were in all rotations highly variable with few consistent temporal trends following the first year after conversion. On the site in eastern Norway, where conversion followed several years of all-arable crop rotations, earthworm number and biomass and soil physical properties improved, whereas the system was apparently degrading with regard to P and K trade balances and contents in soil. On the other two sites, the picture was less clear. On the southern site, which had a relatively fertile soil before conversion, the contents of soil organic matter and K decreased during the six-year period, but the scores of other fertility indices showed no trends. On the site in central Norway, there were positive trends for earthworm-related indices such as worm biomass and tubular biopores, and negative trends for soil porosity. The results, especially those from the eastern site, illustrate the general difficulty in drawing conclusions about overall fertility or sustainability when partial indicators show divergent trends. Consequently, the study gave no unambiguous support to the initial working hypothesis that organic farming increases inherent overall soil fertility, but rather showed that the effect varied among indicators and depended on status of the cases at conversion. It is concluded that indicators are probably better used as tools to learn about and improve system components than as absolute measures of sustainability.     

Removal of benzo (a) pyrene from soil using an endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus ()

The endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) was the most abundant species (75%) in soil contaminated with hydrocarbons, mostly benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), in the state of Tabasco (Mexico). The earthworm P. corethrurus was tested for its capacity to remove 100 mg BaP kg⁻¹ from an Anthrosol soil (sterilized or not) and amended with legume Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis (Wall. ex Wight) Baker ex Burck (3%) or the grass Brachiaria humidicola (L.) DC (3%) (recently renamed as Urochloa humidicola (Rendle) Morrone & Zuloaga) in an aerobic incubation experiment. P. corethrurus removed 26.6 mg BaP kg⁻¹ from the sterilized soil and application of B. humidicola as feed increased this to 35.7 mg BaP kg⁻¹ and M. pruriens to 34.2 mg BaP kg⁻¹ after 112 days. The autochthonous microorganisms removed 9.1 mg BaP kg⁻¹ from the unsterilized soil and application of B. humidicola increased this to 18.0 mg BaP kg⁻¹ and M. pruriens to 11.2 mg BaP kg⁻¹. Adding P. corethrurus to the unsterilized soil accelerated the removal of BaP and 36.1 mg kg⁻¹ was dissipated from soil. It was found that the autochthonous microorganisms removed BaP from soil, but addition of P. corethrurus increased the dissipation 4-fold. The endogeic earthworm P. corethrurus can thus be used to remediate hydrocarbon-contaminated soils in tropical regions.     

植物废弃物饲养蚯蚓的试验研究

采用室内盆养方法研究了利用人工养殖蚯蚓的方法处理闽南地区废弃的香蕉假茎叶和菠萝加工皮渣。结果表明, 以香蕉假茎叶直接调配成的腐熟料不利于蚯蚓的生长, 而菠萝皮渣腐熟料对蚯蚓生长无不良影响; 香蕉假茎叶经过浸水处理2 d 后, 与菠萝皮渣或蘑菇废菌料按照一定的比例混合腐熟, 蚯蚓在其中的4 种混合饵料上生长良好, 日增重倍数为0.433～0.570, 均显著高于CK; 母蚓在香蕉假茎叶、菠萝皮渣、蘑菇废菌料以及牛粪的混合腐熟料上的产卵数平均为43.67 粒/条。     

蚯蚓（Eiseniafetida）细胞色素P450及抗氧化酶系对环境浓度苯并（a）芘的响应

以赤子爱胜蚓（Eiseniafetida）为供试生物,草甸棕壤为供试土壤,以蚯蚓微粒体细胞色素P450含量、抗氧化酶系以及谷胱甘肽转移酶活性为指标,进行了土壤中苯并（a）芘[B（a）P]暴露与酶活性的量-效关系研究。结果表明,在接近沈抚灌区实地污染状况B（a）P（0．1～2．0mg·kg-1）暴露下,第1、3、7以及第14d取样时,P450和SOD有较好的响应：SOD在第1、3d显著升高,而在第7、14d时降低;P450总体表现为低浓度B（a）P诱导下降低,高浓度下升高的趋势。CAT、POD以及GST的敏感性相对较差。比照其他4个指标,蚯蚓P450的敏感性更为优异,具有较好的应用前景。指标敏感性总体表现为：P450〉SOD〉CAT／POD〉GST。     

蚯蚓对秸秆-污泥混合物的消解转化效果

为了探明蚯蚓对秸秆与污泥混合物的消解转化效果,在实验室条件下进行了模拟培养试验。试验共设不同配比混合物料6个处理,即水稻秸秆与城市生活污泥的质量比分别为0/100、10/90、20/80、30/70、40/60和50/50,各处理混合物料接种蚯蚓后在常温下培养。根据物料的消耗情况进行计量补充,并根据需要及时补充水分,始终维持培养料湿润。培养6星期后,去除未被消解的混合物料,分离并计测蚯蚓重量与蚓粪有机肥重量及养分含量,计算混合物料的消解量。结果表明,在本试验条件下,掺入10%-30%秸秆显著提高蚯蚓对混合物料的消解速率。掺入10%和20%秸秆的处理蚯蚓生物量的增长速率显著高于掺入50%秸秆的处理。掺入10%-50%秸秆均显著提高蚯蚓转化污泥-秸秆混合物料形成有机肥的速率。蚓粪有机肥的有机质含量随着掺入秸秆比例的增加而提高;全氮和全钾含量无显著影响;与单纯采用污泥相比,当掺入秸秆比例达40%和50%时,蚓粪全磷含量显著降低。