Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 20708, Laurel, MD, USA.
Environ Monit Assess. 1987 Jan;8(1):27-36. doi: 10.1007/BF00396605.
Earthworms and soils were collected from 20 diverse sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and were analyzed for Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, As, and Se. Correlation coefficients relating concentrations of the elements in earthworms to concentrations in soil were low (-0.20<r<+0.57). Species differences and ecological variables contributed to the variability in concentrations of these elements in earthworms. The maximum concentrations of Pb (2100 ppm), Zn (1600 ppm), Cd (23 ppm) and Se (7.6 ppm) detected in earthworms were in the range reported to be toxic to animals fed diets containing these elements; however, even in the absence of any environmental contamination, some species of earthworms may contain high concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Se. Earthworms of the genus Eisenoides, for example, were exceptional in their ability to concentrate Pb. When earthworms are used as indicators of environmental contamination, it is important to identify the species, to report the soil characteristics, and to collect similar earthworms from very similar but uncontaminated soil.
从马里兰州、宾夕法尼亚州和弗吉尼亚州的 20 个不同地点采集了蚯蚓和土壤，并对其进行了 Pb、Cu、Zn、Cd、Cr、As 和 Se 的分析。蚯蚓中各元素浓度与土壤中各元素浓度之间的相关系数较低（-0.20<r<+0.57）。物种差异和生态变量导致了蚯蚓中这些元素浓度的变化。在蚯蚓中检测到的 Pb（2100 ppm）、Zn（1600 ppm）、Cd（23 ppm）和 Se（7.6 ppm）的最大浓度在报告的范围内，这些浓度对食用含有这些元素的饮食的动物是有毒的；然而，即使在没有任何环境污染的情况下，某些种类的蚯蚓也可能含有高浓度的 Pb、Zn 和 Se。例如，Eisenoides 属的蚯蚓在浓缩 Pb 的能力方面表现出色。当蚯蚓被用作环境污染的指示剂时，识别物种、报告土壤特征以及从非常相似但未受污染的土壤中收集相似的蚯蚓非常重要。
