Worms as Soil Engineers and Pollution Sentinels

• Autor(a) principal: Ribeiro, Ondina
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Briones, Maria Jesus, Natal-da-Luz, Tiago, Ribeiro, Cláudia Rosa, Pereira, Ruth, Carrola, João Soares
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.34624/captar.v11i0.28345

Toxic substances such as metals, pesticides, plastics, drugs, among others, are released daily into the environment and reach aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems causing harmful effects on exposed organisms. On the other hand, the contamination of agricultural soils contributes to the contamination of food chains, affecting terrestrial organisms and later man health. Classical physical-chemical analyzes are essential to assess the concentration of contaminants in soils, however, they do not allow estimating their biological effects. Thus, to evaluate the effects of these compounds on the soil, we can use several terrestrial invertebrates, especially earthworms. These invertebrates play a vital ecological role in soils, contributing to the recycling of organic matter (decomposition), increasing nutrient availability, improving soil structure, among others. Representative species of this group are used as a sentinel organism for the contamination of terrestrial ecosystems and also as a biological model to estimate the potential toxic effects in ecotoxicological tests in the laboratory and in the field. Individuals of these species are easy to maintain and cultivate in the laboratory, are prolific, have a relatively short life cycle and are sensitive to the presence of toxic substances through contact with the cuticle and epidermis and ingestion of contaminated soil.