title: Avoidance bio-assays may help to test the ecological significance of soil pollution.
abstract: We measured the short-term (100 min) avoidance of a soil heavily polluted by hydrocarbons by the soil springtail Folsomia candida, at six rates of dilution in a control, unpolluted soil. We compared the results with those of long-term (40-day) population tests. Five strains were compared, of varying geographical and ecological origin. When pure, the polluted soil was lethal in the long-term and avoided in the short-term by all strains. Avoidance tests, but not population tests, were able to discriminate between strains. Avoidance thresholds differed among strains. Two ecological consequences of the results were discussed: (i) toxic compounds may kill soil animals or deprive them from food, resulting in death of populations, (ii) pollution spots can be locally deprived of fauna because of escape movements of soil animals. Advantages and limitations of the method have been listed, together with proposals for their wider use in soil ecology and ecotoxicology.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Navarra, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Zoologia y Ecologia, 31080 Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez Aldaya
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lors
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salmon
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ponge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D004463:Ecology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D007220:Industrial Waste; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012989:Soil Pollutants