Abstract
Hydrocarbon pollution threatens aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems globally, but soil fauna in oil-polluted soils has been insufficiently studied. In this research, soil hydrocarbon toxicity was investigated in two natural oil seepage soils in Val D’Agri (Italy) using two different approaches: (i) toxicological tests with Folsomia candida (Collembola) and Eisenia fetida (Oligochaeta) and (ii) analysis of abundance and composition of micro- and meso-fauna. Soil sampling was done along 20 m-transepts starting from the natural oil seepages. Toxicological testing revealed that no exemplars of F. candida survived, whereas specimens of E. fetida not only survived but also increased in weight in soils with higher PAH concentrations, although no reproduction was observed. Analysis on microfauna showed that Nematoda was the most abundant group, with distance from seepages not affecting its abundance. Arthropoda results showed that Acarina, Collembola and Diptera larvae represented the most abundant taxa. The highest divergence in community composition was found between soils situated near seepages and at 5 m and 10 m distance. Arthropoda taxa numbers, total abundance and Acarina were lower in soils with high PAH concentration, while Diptera larvae were not significantly affected. Earthworms, together with Nematoda and Diptera larvae, could therefore represent ideal candidates in PAH degradation studies.
Highlights
IntroductionThe development of the global economy has led to a growing demand for oil products
Over the years, the development of the global economy has led to a growing demand for oil products
Among these, leaking underground and aboveground storage tanks, improper disposal of petroleum waste and accidental spills are the main cause of soil and groundwater contamination [1]
Summary
The development of the global economy has led to a growing demand for oil products. Among these, leaking underground and aboveground storage tanks, improper disposal of petroleum waste and accidental spills are the main cause of soil and groundwater contamination [1]. Extensive damage involving food webs, affecting human health, can result from such hydrocarbon contamination through a series of bioaccumulation events, as well as the percolation and transportation of contaminants. Not all hydrocarbon-contaminated soils are a consequence of human activities, since about 80% of the total production of crude oil derives from natural terrestrial fields [2], which allows the effects of continuous discharges in natural seeps to be studied. Hydrocarbons are naturally found in underground geological formations, where they are produced from abundant organic matter and its chemical alteration, slowly migrating as a result of lithostatic pressure and tectonic activity, producing spontaneous hydrocarbon emissions that can be detected on the Earth’s surface [3]
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