Phenanthrene Mitigates Cadmium Toxicity in Earthworms Eisenia fetida (Epigeic Specie) and Aporrectodea caliginosa (Endogeic Specie) in Soil

Ali Mohamed Elyamine, Javaria Afzal, Muhammad Shoaib Rana, Muhammad Imran, Miaomiao Cai and Chengxiao Hu
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Ali Mohamed Elyamine: Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Research Center of Micro-elements, College of Resource and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Javaria Afzal: Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Research Center of Micro-elements, College of Resource and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Muhammad Shoaib Rana: Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Research Center of Micro-elements, College of Resource and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Muhammad Imran: Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Research Center of Micro-elements, College of Resource and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Miaomiao Cai: Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Research Center of Micro-elements, College of Resource and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Chengxiao Hu: Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Research Center of Micro-elements, College of Resource and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: In classical toxicology studies, the interaction of combined doses of chemicals with dissimilar modes of toxic action in soil is complex and depending on the end point investigated and the experimental protocol employed. This study was used to examine the interactive effect of phenanthrene and Cadmium on two ecologically different species of earthworms; Eisenia. fetida and Aporrectodea. caliginosa . This interactive effect was scrutinized by using the acute toxicity test with the concentrations of 2.51 mg kg −1 and 3.74 mg kg −1 , respectively, being lethal for 50% of E. fetida and A. caliginosa . The results showed that in the mixture treatment, phenanthrene at 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg kg −1 significantly mitigated both earthworms species mortality and body-mass loss. Moreover, the factor of Cd accumulated in E. fetida and A. caliginosa tissues was significantly decreased by about 12% and 16%, respectively. Linear regression correlation coefficient revealed that the reduction of both earthworm species mortality was negatively and significantly correlated ( r 2 = 0.98 ± 0.40 and 1 ± 3.9 p < 0.001) with phenanthrene concentration in soil. However, over 20 mg kg −1 of phenanthrene, both organisms mortality rate increased again, as was the Bioaccumulation factor of phenanthrene. Thus, this study proposes that the antagonistical effect of phenanthrene on Cd at a degree of concentration can be used to mitigate Cd effect on soil living organisms. However, as an implication of these results, the interpretation of standardized toxicity bioassays, including whole effluent toxicity tests and single-compound toxicity tests, should be performed with caution. In addition, risk assessment protocols for environment pollution by a mixture of metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons should include robust methods that can detect possible interactive effects between contaminants to optimize environmental protection.

Keywords: cadmium; phenanthrene; earthworms; toxicity; interaction effects; ecotype (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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