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Abstract
Environmental contamination at shooting ranges is a widely known ecological problem. The aim of the study was to evaluate the extent of contamination and the ecotoxicity of a shooting range soil assessing the physiological and biochemical effects on earthworm Eisenia fetida (Savigny). Adult E. fetida were exposed to the soils collected from different distances of the shooting range for 28 days. High concentrations of Pb (53023 mg kg-1), increased concentrations of Ni (12 mg kg-1) and Sb (600 mg kg-1), significantly higher soil organic matter content (7.2%) and density (6.14 g cm-3) were determined in the backstop berm soil. Significant weight loss (44.4%) of the adult earthworms after 28 days of exposure occurred in the most contaminated shooting range soil and significantly higher concentrations of Pb (3101 mg kg-1), Cu (51 mg kg-1), Ni (2 mg kg-1), and Sb (20 mg kg-1) were determined in the tissues of worms, and no juveniles found there. Juveniles exposed to the less contaminated soil of the shooting range (A, B and C) accumulated significant concentrations of Pb, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn. The antioxidant enzymatic activity (glutathione-s-transferase (GST)) decreased, and lipid peroxidation increased as indicated by an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level in earthworms exposed to the contaminated soil. A compensatory mechanism between the activities of glutathione reductase (GR) and GST in earthworms exposed to these soils was confirmed.
Highlights
Contamination of the soil with toxic trace elements is becoming a serious and important dimension of environmental pollution
The pH of the shooting range soil varied from 6.60 to 7.14 and there were no significant differences compared to the reference soil (p > 0.05)
Soil organic matter content was significantly lower among all field soil samples compared to reference soil (p < 0.05)
Summary
Contamination of the soil with toxic trace elements is becoming a serious and important dimension of environmental pollution. Anthropogenic activities such as development of industry and agriculture contribute to the increased contents of trace elements in the soil environment and potential risk to the health of organisms (Rodríguez-Seijo et al 2017; Li et al 2019). Shooting ranges are a potential source for contamination of soils with various trace elements since shooting activities contribute to deposition of large amounts of trace-element-based bullets (Sorvari 2011; Sanderson et al 2018). Soil pH is the primary factor contributing to bioavailability of lead because it regulates solubility and soil reactions (Fayiga and Saha 2016). Vegetation cover reduces lead leaching (Fayiga and Saha 2016)
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