Toxicity of selenate and selenite to the potworm Enchytraeus albidus (Annelida: Enchytraeidae): a laboratory test.
Little information is available about the toxicity of inorganic selenium forms in soil animals. Therefore, the effects of selenate and selenite on the mortality and reproduction of Enchytraeus albidus were examined in standard laboratory tests with chronic exposure. Total and available amount of selenate and selenite were tested in a calcareous loamy chernozem soil. The LC(50) of selenate was 5.69 (2.7-8.12) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for total Se and 4.74 (2.14-6.98) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for available Se. Selenite LC(50) was as high as 22.5 (19.6-25.7) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for total Se and 8.10 (6.8-9.6) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for available Se. The EC(50) of selenate was 0.41 (0.35-0.48) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for total Se and 0.28 (0.24-0.34) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for available Se. Selenite EC(50) was as high as 7.3 (6.2-8.5) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for total Se and 2.46 (2.05-2.91) mg kg(-1) dry wt. for available Se. The response in reproduction was more sensitive to Se toxicity than the response in mortality. Selenate proved to be more toxic than selenite. Available data show that E. albidus may function as a biological indicator for some inorganic selenium forms in the soil.
Somogyi
Zoltán
Z
Department of Zoology and Ecology, Szent István University, Gödöllo, Hungary.
Kiss
István
I
Kádár
Imre
I
Bakonyi
Gábor
G
D000818:Animals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D064586:Selenic Acid; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D018038:Sodium Selenite / Q000633:toxicity*; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*
D018036:Selenium Compounds; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D018038:Sodium Selenite; D064586:Selenic Acid