Article
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Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Metal Pollution Influences Habitat Preference in Three Endogeic Earthworms
Version 1
: Received: 19 May 2023 / Approved: 22 May 2023 / Online: 22 May 2023 (09:34:37 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Chatelain, M. Endogeic Earthworms Avoid Soil Mimicking Metal Pollution Levels in Urban Parks. Sustainability 2023, 15, 11513. Chatelain, M. Endogeic Earthworms Avoid Soil Mimicking Metal Pollution Levels in Urban Parks. Sustainability 2023, 15, 11513.
Abstract
In response to long-lasting high levels of Metallic Trace Elements (MTEs) in urban soils, we expect soil invertebrates inhabiting urban environments to have evolved detection and avoidance and/or tolerance mechanisms to MTE pollution. In this study, I used artificial soils with concentrations of lead, zinc, copper, chromium and nickel that reflect pollution levels in soils of Parisian parks. Using choice experiments, I compared habitat preference (i.e. the occurrence of individuals in the polluted vs. unpolluted soil) and health status (i.e. body mass maintenance, mobility, mortality) between three species of endogeic earthworms – Apporectodea caliginosa, Apporectodea icterica and Allolobophora chlorotica – originating either from urban or rural grasslands. This study highlights a clear avoidance of MTE polluted soils in all three species, as well as MTE-induced health impairments, especially in A. chlorotica. Interestingly, earthworm response to MTE exposure only slightly differed between earthworms from urban and rural origin, suggesting the absence of widespread acclimatization or adaptation mechanisms to MTE pollution in cities. As a consequence, MTE pollution is expected to significantly shape earthworm spatial distribution in both urban and rural environments and, as a consequence, affect ecosystem functioning.
Keywords
urbanization; urban parks; lead; copper; zinc; habitat selection; habitat choice; body mass
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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