Abstract
This study aimed at assessing the effects of increased air temperature and reduced soil moisture content on the multi-generation toxicity of a soil polluted by metal/metalloid mining wastes. Enchytraeus crypticus was exposed to dilution series of the polluted soil in Lufa 2.2 soil under different combinations of air temperature (20 °C and 25 °C) and soil moisture content (50% and 30% of the soil water holding capacity, WHC) over three generations standardized on physiological time. Generation time was shorter with increasing air temperature and/or soil moisture content. Adult survival was only affected at 30% WHC (∼30% reduction at the highest percentages of polluted soil). Reproduction decreased with increasing percentage of polluted soil in a dose-related manner and over generations. Toxicity increased at 30% WHC (>50% reduction in EC50 in F0 and F1 generations) and over generations in the treatments at 20 °C (40–60% reduction in EC50 in F2 generation). At 25 °C, toxicity did not change when combined with 30% WHC and only slightly increased with 50% WHC. So, higher air temperature and/or reduced soil moisture content does affect the toxicity of soils polluted by metal/metalloid mining wastes to E. crypticus and this effect may exacerbate over generations.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 101-108 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Environmental Pollution |
Volume | 222 |
Early online date | 7 Jan 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2017 |
Funding
M. Nazaret González-Alcaraz received a post-doctoral grant from the Fundación Ramón Areces. We thank Rudo A. Verweij from the Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) for his valuable contribution to the experimental work. We also thank Jan Baas and Claus Svendsen from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Wallingford, United Kingdom) and Pablo Bielza Lino from the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (Cartagena, Spain) for their valuable suggestions for the statistical analyses.
Funders | Funder number |
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Fundación Ramón Areces | |
Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena |