Public Health and Ecotoxicology Research Group (PHERG), Departmento de Biologia, Universidade dos Açores, Ponta Delgada, Portugal.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2011 Jan;74(1):25-32. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2010.08.004. Epub 2010 Aug 24.
For the first time, the structure, dimensions, and composition of the epidermis of an invasive earthworm species that has successfully colonized hostile conditions in actively volcanic soil on São Miguel (Azores) have been measured. Metal concentrations in actively volcanic (Furnas) and volcanically inactive (Fajã) soils were similar; however, Furnas soil was characterised by elevated temperature (10°C differential), relative hypoxia, extremely high CO(2) tension, and accompanying acidity. The epidermis of earthworm's resident at Fajã was approximately twice the thickness of the epidermis of conspecifics resident in Furnas soil. Reference worms transferred to Furnas soil for 14 days experienced an epidermal thinning of approximately 51%. In comparison, when Furnas earthworms were transferred to mesocosms at the relatively benign Fajã site, their epidermal thickness increased by approximately 21% over 14 days. Earthworms resident in Furnas soil had higher goblet cell counts than the residents of volcanically inactive soil on a neighbouring island (S. Maria). Transferring worms from S. Maria to mesocosms at Furnas induced a significant increase in goblet cell counts. Clearly, the active volcanic environment at Furnas poses a multifactorial stress challenge to the epigeic A. gracilis colonizer.
首次对成功定殖在圣米格尔（亚速尔群岛）活火山土壤中具有侵袭性的蚯蚓物种的表皮结构、尺寸和组成进行了测量。活火山（福尔纳斯）和无火山活动（法雅）土壤中的金属浓度相似；然而，福尔纳斯土壤的特点是温度升高（相差 10°C）、相对缺氧、极高的二氧化碳张力和伴随的酸度。居住在法雅的蚯蚓的表皮厚度约为居住在福尔纳斯土壤中的同种蚯蚓的两倍。将参考蚯蚓转移到福尔纳斯土壤中 14 天后，表皮厚度减少了约 51%。相比之下，当福尔纳斯蚯蚓被转移到相对良性的法雅现场的中观模型中时，它们的表皮厚度在 14 天内增加了约 21%。居住在福尔纳斯土壤中的蚯蚓的杯状细胞计数高于邻近岛屿（圣玛丽亚）无火山土壤中的居民。将蚯蚓从圣玛丽亚转移到福尔纳斯的中观模型中，会导致杯状细胞计数显著增加。显然，福尔纳斯的活火山环境对土壤表面生活的 A. gracilis 殖民者构成了多因素的压力挑战。
