title: Comparative avoidance behaviour of the earthworm Eisenia fetida towards chloride, nitrate and sulphate salts of Cd, Cu and Zn using filter paper and extruded water agar gels as exposure media.
abstract: We studied the avoidance behaviour of the earthworm Eisenia fetida towards Cd, Cu, and Zn, trace elements (TEs) tested as chloride, nitrate and sulphate salts. Sub adults were exposed individually using dual-cell chambers at 20+2°C in the dark. Recordings were realised at different dates from 2h to 32h. We used filter paper and extruded water agar gel as exposure media to evaluate the contribution of the dermal and the digestive exposure routes on the avoidance reactions. Exposures to Cu or Cd (10mgmetal ionL(-1)) resulted in highly significant avoidance reactions through the exposure duration. Worms avoided Zn poorly and reactions towards Zn salts varied along the exposure. Worm sensitivity towards TEs differed between salts and this could result from differential toxicity or accessibility of these TE salts to earthworms. The anion in itself was not the determinant of the avoidance reactions since exposures to similar concentrations of these anions using calcium salts did not result in significant avoidance worm behaviour. Avoidance responses towards TEs were higher in the case of water agar exposures than in filter paper exposures. Thus, dermal contacts with TE solutions would elicit worm avoidance but signals from receptors located inside the digestive tract could reinforce this behaviour. The use of extruded water agar gels as the substrate allows checking the real sensitivity of earthworm species towards TEs since the TE concentrations leading to significant avoidance reactions were below those reported in the literature when using TE-spiked soils.
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE) Université de Lille, Univ. Lille 1, Équipe Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Terrestres Anthropisés, Bâtiment SN3, Cité Scientifique, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demuynck
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lebel
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE) Université de Lille, Univ. Lille 1, Équipe Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Terrestres Anthropisés, Bâtiment SN3, Cité Scientifique, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, Cedex, France; Ecole Supérieure du Professorat et de l'Education (ESPE), Site d'Arras, 7 bis rue Raoul François, BP 30927, F-62022 Arras Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grumiaux
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE) Université de Lille, Univ. Lille 1, Équipe Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Terrestres Anthropisés, Bâtiment SN3, Cité Scientifique, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pernin
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE) Université de Lille, Univ. Lille 1, Équipe Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Terrestres Anthropisés, Bâtiment SN3, Cité Scientifique, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leprêtre
authors.affiliation: Université Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; Laboratoire Génie Civil et géo-Environnement (LGCgE) Université de Lille, Univ. Lille 1, Équipe Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Terrestres Anthropisés, Bâtiment SN3, Cité Scientifique, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lemière
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D003300:Copper / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005374:Filtration; D005782:Gels; D009566:Nitrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010209:Paper; D013431:Sulfates / Q000494:pharmacology; D015032:Zinc / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D005782:Gels; D009566:Nitrates; D013431:Sulfates; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D000362:Agar; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Avoidance behaviour; Eisenia fetida; Filter paper contact test; Metal salts; Water agar gel