Soil microcosm for testing the effects of chemical pollutants on soil fauna communities and trophic structure

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.5620120815· OSTI ID:7017307

Parmelee, R W ^[1]; Wentsel, R S; Phillips, C T; Checkai, R T ^[2]; Simini, M ^[3]

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1. Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). Dept. of Entomology
2. Army CRDEC, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (United States)
3. Geo-Centers, Inc., Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (United States)

A microcosm technique is presented that uses community and trophic-level analysis of soil nematodes and microarthropods to determine the effects of chemicals on soil systems. Forest soil was treated with either copper, p-nitrophenol, or trinitrotoluene. Nematodes were sorted into bacterivore, fungivore, herbivore, and omnivore-predator trophic groups, and a hatchling category. Microarthropods were sorted to the acarine suborders Prostigmata, Mesostigmata, and Oribatida; the insectan order Collembola; and a miscellaneous group. Omnivore-predator nematodes and meso-stigmatid and oribatid mites were the groups most sensitive to copper and were significantly reduced at levels as low as 100 [mu]g g[sup [minus]1] copper. Total nematode and microarthropod numbers declined above 200 [mu]g g[sup [minus]1] copper. Trophic structure analysis suggested that high sensitivity of nematode predators to intermediate levels of copper reduced predation on herbivore nematodes and resulted in greater numbers of nematodes compared to controls. p-Nitrophenol was very toxic to the nematode community, and all trophic groups were significantly reduced above 20 [mu]g g[sup [minus]1]. However, there was no effect of p-nitrophenol on microarthropods. Trinitrotoluene had no significant negative effect on total abundance of either groups of soil fauna, but oribatids were significantly reduced at 200 [mu]g g[sup [minus]1]. The results demonstrated that soil nematodes and microarthropods were sensitive indicators of environmental contaminants and that trophic-structure and community analysis has the potential to detect more subtle indirect effects of chemicals on soil food-web structure. The authors conclude that microcosms with field communities of soil microfauna offer high resolution of the ecotoxicological effects of chemicals in complex soil systems.

• OSTI ID: 7017307
• Journal Information: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States) Vol. 12:8; ISSN 0730-7268; ISSN ETOCDK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
ARTHROPODS
ASCHELMINTHES
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CONTAMINATION
COPPER
ELEMENTS
HELMINTHS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INVERTEBRATES
LAND POLLUTION
METALS
NEMATODES
NITRO COMPOUNDS
NITROPHENOL
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PARASITES
PHENOLS
POLLUTION
SENSITIVITY
SOILS
TOXICITY
TRANSITION ELEMENTS