Abstract
This review examined one of the effects of climate change that has only recently received attention, i.e., climate change impacts on the distribution and toxicity of chemical contaminants in the environment. As ecosystem engineers, earthworms are potentially threatened by the increasing use of pesticides. Increases in temperature, precipitation regime changes, and related extreme climate events can potentially affect pesticide toxicity. This review of original research articles, reviews, and governmental and intergovernmental reports focused on the interactions between toxicants and environmental parameters. The latter included temperature, moisture, acidification, hypoxia, soil carbon cycle, and soil dynamics, as altered by climate change. Dynamic interactions between climate change and contaminants can be particularly problematic for organisms since organisms have an upper and lower physiological range, resulting in impacts on their acclimatization capacity. Climate change variables such as temperature and soil moisture also have an impact on acidification. An increase in temperature will impact precipitation which might impact soil pH. Also, an increase in precipitation can result in flooding which can reduce the population of earthworms by not giving juvenile earthworms enough time to develop into reproductive adults. As an independent stressor, hypoxia can affect soil organisms, alter bioavailability, and increase the toxicity of chemicals in some cases. Climate change variables, especially temperature and soil moisture, significantly affect the bioavailability of pesticides in the soil and the growth and reproduction of earthworm species.
Highlights
Climate change is defined as the alteration in the climate state, evidenced by changes in the variability of its properties such as temperature, precipitation, and wind [1]. ese variables persist for an extended period which coincides with an increased likelihood in the intensity of extreme climate events, such as drought and flooding [2, 3]
A study done by Gonzalez-Alcaraz et al [96] assessed how different combinations of air temperatures and soil moisture contents (20°C and 25°C; 30% and 50%) affected the bioaccumulation kinetics of zinc and cadmium in the earthworm species Eisenia andrei. e results of this study indicated that the earthworms accumulated zinc rapidly in contaminated soils
E soil environment interacts with the atmosphere and hydrosphere and provides many human civilisation materials and food to consume. us, the soil environment’s health is crucial for human, plant, and animal life, and protecting this natural resource is essential for survival
Summary
Potential Impacts of Climate Change on the Toxicity of Pesticides towards Earthworms. Precipitation regime changes, and related extreme climate events can potentially affect pesticide toxicity. Dynamic interactions between climate change and contaminants can be problematic for organisms since organisms have an upper and lower physiological range, resulting in impacts on their acclimatization capacity. Climate change variables such as temperature and soil moisture have an impact on acidification. Especially temperature and soil moisture, significantly affect the bioavailability of pesticides in the soil and the growth and reproduction of earthworm species
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