Abstract
AbstractLife‐cycle (survival, weight change, and cocoon production rate) and biomarker (neutral‐red retentionby coelomocytes lysosomes) responses to zinc in four earthworm species were measured in laboratory tests. In all species, dose‐dependent effects on survival, cocoon production, and neutral‐red retention times were found (one‐way ANOVAp< 0.05). However, for weight change, onlyAporrectodea caliginosashowed a clear response. Comparisons of the effects of zinc on these parameters in the different earthworm species indicated similar order of sensitivity. Thus,Lumbricus rubellusandAporrectodea caliginosawere more sensitive to zinc thanLumbricus terrestrisandEisenia fetidain all cases. To compare the relative sensitivities of life‐cycle and biomarker responses, a sublethal sensitivity index (SSI) was applied. For cocoon production, SSIs indicated that the EC10s were below LC50s by a factor of between 8.3 and 16.5. These values are toward the high end of the range found previously for soil invertebrates, indicating an emphasis on maximizing survival. For neutral red, SSIs ranged from 4.5 to 41.2. Thus, the biomarker was predictive of life‐cycle effects in some (Lumbricus rubellusandAporrectodea caliginosa), although not the other two species tested.
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