Earthworms do this by eating organic matter and breaking it down into small pieces that are eaten by bacteria and fungi, releasing nutrients. Earthworms also play a role in mixing soil layers and incorporating organic matter into the soil. fulfill.
Population-specific differences in earthworm responses to simultaneous exposure to Cu and Zn were investigated in microcosm experiments. Two populations of Aporrectodea caliginosa tuberculate (iron) with different metal exposure histories were selected for the study. Microcosms containing either uncontaminated soil or soil with low or high combined Cu/Zn concentrations (79/139 and 178/311 mg kg-1 soil dry matter, respectively) were prepared.
Earthworms from each population were introduced into the microcosm treatment, with some microcosms serving as no-worm controls. In a climate chamber, he destructively sampled a series of microcosms after 16 weeks of incubation. Survival, growth, reproduction, and decay by earthworms were measured for each treatment.
Another microcosm series was sampled for soil and earthworm measurements at 4-week intervals to determine temporal changes in metal availability in soil and accumulation in earthworms. Cu and Zn were successively extracted from both microcosm series soil samples to estimate the metal mobility and availability in soil.
Earthworms exposed to metal-contaminated soil for a long period of time appeared to tolerate higher soil metal concentrations than those not previously exposed. Influenced the mineralization of nitrogen. In addition, earthworms appeared to reduce the mobility and bioavailability of metals in the soil through drilling activities.
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Earthworms do this by eating organic matter and breaking it down into small pieces that are eaten by bacteria and fungi, releasing nutrients. Earthworms also play a role in mixing soil layers and incorporating organic matter into the soil. fulfill.
Population-specific differences in earthworm responses to simultaneous exposure to Cu and Zn were investigated in microcosm experiments. Two populations of Aporrectodea caliginosa tuberculate (iron) with different metal exposure histories were selected for the study. Microcosms containing either uncontaminated soil or soil with low or high combined Cu/Zn concentrations (79/139 and 178/311 mg kg-1 soil dry matter, respectively) were prepared.
Earthworms from each population were introduced into the microcosm treatment, with some microcosms serving as no-worm controls. In a climate chamber, he destructively sampled a series of microcosms after 16 weeks of incubation. Survival, growth, reproduction, and decay by earthworms were measured for each treatment.
Another microcosm series was sampled for soil and earthworm measurements at 4-week intervals to determine temporal changes in metal availability in soil and accumulation in earthworms. Cu and Zn were successively extracted from both microcosm series soil samples to estimate the metal mobility and availability in soil.
Earthworms exposed to metal-contaminated soil for a long period of time appeared to tolerate higher soil metal concentrations than those not previously exposed. Influenced the mineralization of nitrogen. In addition, earthworms appeared to reduce the mobility and bioavailability of metals in the soil through drilling activities.
learn more about Earthworms here:- https://brainly.com/question/13938105
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