Ref ID : 6849
Elizabeth A. Kruse and Gary W. Barrett; Effects of Municipal Sludge and Fertilizer on Heavy Metal Accumulation in Earthworms. Environ.Pollut.A 38:235-244, 1985
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Comparisons were made of heavy metal concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in Lumbricus rubellus collected from a three-year-old field community in which replicate plots were treated five times annually for four years with either fertilizer, sewage sludge, or left untreated as controls. Concentrations of all four metals were significantly higher (P< /_0.05) in the soil from sludge-treated plots than from fertilizer or control plots. Cadmium concentration was approximately nine times greater in earthworms from sludge plots than in those from control or fertilizer plots. Although amounts of copper (average 20.7 µg g-1) and lead (8.75 µg g-1) were also significantly higher in earthworm tissue from sludge-amended communities as compared to fertilizer or control treatments, concentration factors were relatviely low, suggesting possible biological regulation of these metals. No significant differences were found between treatments for zinc concentrations in earthworm tissue. Lumbricus rubellus appears to be an ideal indicator species for investigating rates of heavy metal uptake within terrestrial ecosystems.