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Earthworms as a suitable organisms for soil pollution monitoring – possibilities and limitations

Considering the importance of the soil in the food production and constant input of diverse chemicals (from industrial activities, urban waste, agrochemicals) that present serious threat to soil quality, there is a growing concern regarding the soil pollution and the adverse effects on soil ecosystems. Earthworms are naturally in contact with the solid and aqueous soil phases, and are continuously exposed to chemicals present in their soil environment. Due to their sensitive reactions towards environmental influences, and their importance in the structure and proper functioning of the soil ecosystems, earthworms are often used as test organism in soil ecotoxicological studies. The toxicity and adverse effects of soil pollutants can be assessed by applying various bioassays. Combination of different assays and measured endpoints increases the predictive power of negative influences and risks. However, even though the possibilities are diverse, there are also limitations in these studies that have to be considered. In this chapter an overview of recent research regarding the assessment of various pollutants on earthworms is given with emphasis on the possible improvement of the investigation in soil pollution monitoring using these organisms.

Ecotoxicology ; Earthworms ; Soil ecosystems ; Soil pollution ; Monitoring

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