Koen Lock

Cadmium toxicity for terrestrial invertebrates: taking soil parameters affecting bioavailability into account

Acute and chronic ecotoxicity tests with cadmium were conducted with the earthworm Eisenia fetida, the potworm Enchytraeus albidus and the springtail Folsomia candida. To assess the influence of the soil type on cadmium bioavailability, these tests were carried out in a standard artificial soil, in a sandy and a loamy field soil. It was not possible to evaluate the influence of soil parameters on the bioavailability on the basis of the experiments that were conducted in only three different soil types, therefore, literature data were also included. However, even in the same standard artificial soils, toxicity data in the literature for Eisenia fetida and Folsomia candida varied considerably. Consequently, no models could be developed that allow a normalization of the ecotoxicity of cadmium to parameters controlling bioavailability. In contrast to zinc, effect concentrations of cadmium for terrestrial invertebrates were always much higher than background concentrations. As the effect of aging on the bioavailability of cadmium was never taken into account, because toxicity experiments were always carried out in freshly spiked soils, these effect concentrations may even be regarded as conservative. Furthermore, the zinc–cadmium ratio in soils is usually so high that the risk of zinc ecotoxicity for terrestrial invertebrates will usually be much greater in comparison to cadmium ecotoxicity.

Influence of ageing on zinc bioavailability in soils.

Currently, soil quality criteria or soil risk assessments of metals are based on laboratory toxicity tests which are carried out in soils freshly spiked with metal salts. With these data, species sensitivity distributions are fitted, from which hazardous concentrations and predicted no effect concentrations are derived. However, due to long-term processes, called ageing, soil metal availability decreases with time. Here we show that pH is the most important parameter determining the effect of ageing on zinc partitioning in soils, with the effect of ageing becoming more important with increasing pH. Furthermore, zinc bioavailability, expressed as the internal zinc concentrations in red clover (Trifolium pratense) is closely related to pore water zinc concentration. In addition, there is a clear dose-response relationship between the survival of the earthworm Eisenia fetida and the calcium chloride-extracted zinc fraction. These results indicate that zinc partitioning can be used to predict zinc bioavailability to terrestrial organisms. However, the use of spiked soils in toxicity assays can result in an over-estimation of the effects of zinc, especially at a high pH.

Uncertainties in the Environmental Risk Assessment of Metals

As life has evolved in the presence of metals, the assessment of the potential adverse effects of metals on ecosystems requires a different approach than those presently used for man-made organic substances. This article provides a brief review of applications and limitations of current techniques and presents, based on recent research results, suggestions for improving the scientific relevance and accuracy of environmental risk assessments of metals. The importance of the following factors responsible for major uncertainties in current environmental risk assessments of metals are discussed: factors affecting metal bioavailability and toxicity, the potential importance of deficiency effects (for essential metals), and field extrapolation of laboratory toxicity data. Possible (regulatory) consequences of inaccurately assessing the natural background concentrations of metals and acclimatization/adaptation potential of laboratory organisms and resident communities are illustrated using examples of recent research, hypothesis development, and a probabilistic environmental risk assessment.

Ecotoxicity of nickel to Eisenia fetida, Enchytraeus albidus and Folsomia candida.

Despite growing concern about the potential adverse effects of elevated nickel concentrations in the environment, only a few toxicity data are available for terrestrial invertebrates. Therefore, chronic toxicity of nickel was assessed for Eisenia fetida, Enchytraeus albidus and Folsomia candida, the three invertebrates for which standard test protocols are available. The 21 d EC50 for the cocoon production of E. fetida was 362 (241-508) mg Ni/kg dry wt. For the reproduction of E. albidus, a 42 d EC50 of 275 (217-346) mg Ni/kg dry wt was observed. The 28 d EC50 for the reproduction of F. candida was 476 (347-671) mg Ni/kg dry wt. The obtained toxicity data were very similar to those of related species reported in literature. Although the presented data can be considered as a step forward in the assessment of the potential risks of nickel in terrestrial environments, further research is needed to evaluate the influence of soil parameters on the toxicity of nickel and to quantify the effect of ageing on bioavailability.

Combining data-driven methods and lab studies to analyse the ecology of Dikerogammarus villosus

Abstract The spread of aquatic invasive species is a worldwide problem. In the aquatic environment, especially exotic Crustacea are affecting biodiversity. The amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus is such an exotic species in Flanders, which is rapidly spreading and probably has a serious impact on aquatic communities. The purpose of the present study was to make use of lab results, field data and modelling techniques to investigate the potential impact of this species on other macroinvertebrates. All types of prey that were used in predator–prey experiments ( Gammarus pulex , Gammarus tigrinus , Crangonyx pseudogracilis , Asellus aquaticus , Cloeon dipterum and Chironomus species) were consumed by D. villosus , especially species that were less mobile such as the Chironomus species. The presence of gravel somewhat reduced predation by providing shelter to the prey. Substrate preference experiments indicated that D. villosus preferred a stony substrate. Using decisions trees to construct habitat suitability models based on field observations, it could be concluded that D. villosus is mainly found in habitats with an artificial bank structure, a high oxygen saturation and a low conductivity, which corresponds with canals with a good chemical water quality. Moreover, a synecological classification tree, based on the abundance of the taxa present in the macroinvertebrate communities, indicated that the presence of D. villosus negatively affected the presence of the indigenous G. pulex . When the laboratory experiments and the field observations are combined, it can be concluded that D. villosus can seriously affect macroinvertebrate communities in Flanders.

Influence of Aging on Metal Availability in Soils

An overview is given on the literature concerning the effect of long-term processes, called aging, on metal availability, and consequences for risk assessment of metal-contaminated soils are discussed. Experiments with freshly prepared metal oxyhydroxides and calcites overpredict the influence of aging because of the initial transformations occurring in these systems. Also, freshly ground clays are not representative of field soils because the surface area exposed for fixation is unrealistically high. Experiments with field soils confirm the hypothesis that metal availability can decrease as a result of aging, especially for metals with a small ionic radius. Although aging also seems to affect metal uptake, it should be noted that some organisms are able to regulate their internal metal concentrations within a narrow range, especially for essential elements. Deficiency of essential metals as well as metal toxicity to plants and invertebrates seem to be related to the environmental availability of these metals. Unfortunately, aging effects are often confounded by differences in soil properties between freshly spiked and historically contaminated soils. Environmental parameters such as temperature, moisture content, drying and rewetting cycles, and pH affect the rate of aging, whereas pH seems to be the sole important parameter affecting the extent of aging.

APPLICATION OF CLASSIFICATION TREES AND SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES TO MODEL THE PRESENCE OF MACROINVERTEBRATES IN RIVERS IN VIETNAM

Abstract In the present study, classification trees (CTs) and support vector machines (SVMs) were used to study habitat suitability for 30 macroinvertebrate taxa in the Du river in Northern Vietnam. The presence/absence of the 30 most common macroinvertebrate taxa was modelled based on 21 physical-chemical and structural variables. The predictive performance of the CT and SVM models was assessed based on the percentage of Correctly Classified Instances (CCI) and Cohens kappa statistics. The results of the present study demonstrated that SVMs performed better than CTs. Attribute weighing in SVMs could replace the application of genetic algorithms for input variable selection. By weighing attributes, SVMs provided quantitative correlations between environmental variables and the occurrence of macroinvertebrates and thus allowed better ecological interpretation. SVMs thus proved to have a high potential when applied for decision-making in the context of river restoration and conservation management.

Influence of soil properties on copper toxicity for two soil invertebrates

Although a large body of evidence indicates that metal toxicity to soil organisms is affected by physicochemical soil properties, use of this knowledge in ecological risk assessments is limited because of the lack of a model applicable to a wide range of soils. To study the effect of soil characteristics on the toxicity of copper to terrestrial invertebrates, chronic toxicity tests with Eisenia fetida and Folsomia candida were performed in 19 European field soils. These soils were carefully selected to cover the range of toxicity-influencing parameters encountered in the European Union. Toxicity values varied greatly among soils, with 28-d median effect concentrations ranging from 72.0 to 781 mg Cu/kg dry weight for E. fetida and from 45.4 to 2,270 mg Cu/kg dry weight for F. candida. For both species, variation in copper toxicity values was best explained by differences in the actual cation-exchange capacity (CEC) at soil pH. Using the obtained regression algorithms, the observed toxicity could, in most cases, be predicted within a factor of two for E. fetida and within a factor of three for F. candida. The developed models were validated in three additional European field soils, a standard artificial soil and a standard field soil. The presented regression equations, based on the actual CEC, offer an easy-to-apply method for taking the influence of soil properties on metal toxicity into account.

Comparison of modelling techniques to predict macroinvertebrate community composition in rivers of Ethiopia

Abstract In order to fulfil the millennium development goals and to ensure environmental sustainability in Ethiopia, ecological indicator systems can support river managers to analyse the status of watercourses and to select critical restoration actions. In order to use macroinvertebrates as river water quality monitoring and assessment tools, Ethiopia needs data from reference as well as disturbed conditions of surface water ecosystems. Macroinvertebrates, structural and physical–chemical data were in this context collected in the Gilgel Gibe river basin in South-Western Ethiopia during the period 2005–2008. In the next stage, ecological metrics were compared for their assessment relevance. In the present paper, classification trees and support vector machines were used to induce models describing the relation between the river characteristics and the ecological conditions of these streams. Greedy stepwise and genetic search algorithms improved the performance and easy interpretation of these models by making a selection of the variables that were used as input of these models. The developed models allowed to identify the major variables affecting river quality. These tools can support river managers in their decision-making regarding the status of rivers and potential restoration options, for example by providing rules concerning critical values of major river characteristics at which certain actions should be undertaken.

Effect of clay and organic matter type on the ecotoxicity of zinc and cadmium to the potworm Enchytraeus albidus

Clay and organic matter are considered as important parameters influencing bioavailability and ecotoxicity of metals in soils. As there exists a large variation in the type of clay and organic matter in field soils, the quantity of these variables alone may not be good indicators of metal bioavailability. To test this hypothesis, toxicity experiments with the potworm Enchytraeus albidus were conducted in artificial soils with three types of clay and seven types of organic matter, while the soil pH was kept constant. The 14d LC50 of zinc and cadmium varied from 83.0 to 1,140 mg Zn/kg D.W. and from 55.2 to 704 mg Cd/kg D.W., respectively, depending on the type of clay and organic matter that were used. Simultaneous measurements of the cation exchange capacity showed that this soil parameter is a better indicator of the bioavailability as it takes into account the type of clay and organic matter as well as other adsorption phases such as metal oxyhydroxides.