Uptake of cesium‐134 by the earthworm species Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus

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Abstract
The uptake processes of 134Cs in two earthworm species were investigated as well as the effect of temperature on these processes. The results show that equilibrium concentrations in the two species differ by 1.5‐to fivefold. Equilibrium concentrations range from 367 to 963 Bq g−1 in Lumbricus rubellus and from 920 to 1,893 Bq g−1 in Eisenia foetida; biological half‐lives range from 56 to 119 h and 52 to 64 h, respectively. Assimilation was two to four times higher in E. foetida and elimination rate one to two times higher in E. foetida than in L. rubellus. Further, the results show that temperature may affect the 134Cs concentration in these earthworms by a factor of 1.4 to 2.1 between 10 and 20°C, depending on the species. The maximum difference found within one species was a factor of 2.6. Our results show no clear effect of temperature on the assimilation, but a small negative effect on elimination, resulting in an increasing biological half‐life and concentration factor with higher temperatures.