Abstract
AbstractEarthworm survival tests are commonly used in terrestrial ecotoxicology to assess the toxicity of compounds in soil. Earthworm (Eisenia andrei) reproduction tests were used to assess the sublethal and chronic effects of 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (TNT) and 1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5,7‐triazacyclohexane (RDX). Effects on reproduction parameters (total number of cocoons, number of hatched cocoons, number of juveniles, juvenile biomass, and hatchability) were measured in TNT‐ and RDX‐spiked artificial soil. For TNT, the lowest‐observed‐effect concentration (LOEC) was 110 mg/kg dry soil, and the no‐observed‐effect concentration (NOEC) was 55 mg/kg. For the RDX‐spiked soil, the LOEC was 95 mg/kg dry soil, and the NOEC was <95 mg/kg. The growth of adult worms was also reduced when exposed to TNT‐spiked soil at the highest tested concentration (881 mg/kg dry soil). Taken together, data analysis showed that the number of juveniles was strongly correlated with the number of cocoons but poorly correlated with the growth of adults. This information could permit one to optimize the application of the Eisenia sp. reproduction assay when used as a sublethal effect assessment tool for TNT‐ or RDX‐contaminated soils.
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