Effects of soil type, prepercolation, and ageing on bioaccumulation and toxicity of zinc for the springtailFolsomia candida

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Soil properties are a major influence on the bioavailability and toxicity of metals and represent one of the important factors that complicate the extrapolation of results from laboratory tests to field situations. The influence of soil characteristics and way of contamination on the bioaccumulation and toxicity of zinc was investigated for the springtailFolsomia candida, and the applicability of chemical extraction techniques for the prediction of zinc uptake and toxicity was evaluated. Bioaccumulation of zinc inF. candidawas related to water‐soluble zinc concentrations, and uptake was dependent on the test soil used. Effects of zinc forF. candidacould not be fully explained by bioaccumulation. This indicates that the existence of a fixed internal threshold concentration of zinc above which physiological functions are impaired is not likely forF. candida.In freshly contaminated soils, zinc toxicity was related to organic matter and clay content of the soil; however, the use of these soils overestimated the effects of zinc forF. candidaby a factor of 5 to 8 compared to a test soil that was subjected to ageing under field conditions for 1.5 years. Equilibration of the zinc contamination by percolating the soils with water before use in the toxicity experiment strongly reduced the difference in zinc toxicity between laboratory‐treated and aged soils. Water‐soluble concentrations are most appropriate to predict effects of zinc on reproduction ofF. candidain soils with unknown contamination histories. For laboratory toxicity tests, it is recommended to percolate soils with water after contamination and to include an equilibration period prior to use to achieve a more realistic exposure situation.

This publication has 34 references indexed in Scilit: