EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATION ON THE COMMUNITY DYNAMICS OF EARTHWORMS IN RELATION TO SOIL PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL FACTORS IN AGRICULTURAL FIELDS (BELGIUM)

We investigated the effect of different agricultural practices on the abundances, biomass, and species diversity of earthworms. Specifically, we aimed to identify the relationship between certain soil physico-chemical properties and earthworm communities in agricultural soils. Two tillage systems and crop residue management were investigated. After conducting the study over four years, we found that the abundance, biomass, and diversity of earthworms were negatively affected by tillage application and the removal of crop residues.
All ecological groups were negatively affected by conventional tillage system and crop residues exportation. However, crop residues removal had a greater impact than the conventional tillage system. In this study area, the earthworm community was dominated by the endogeic species A. c. caliginosa (64%), while few epigeic and anecic species were observed (5%). Endogeic and epi-anecic (L. terrestris) species appeared to be highly influenced by tillage and of crop residues exportation. When crop residues were exported from the field, the concentrations of chemical elements were low, particularly P and K nutrients. Earthworm activity contributed to nutrient dynamics and soil structure after four years of incorporating of crop residues to the fields and reduced tillage application. No consistent relationship was detected between soil and earthworm variables, even though different soil properties responded differently with respect to the tillage systems, crop residues removal and the presence of certain earthworm species. The number of years that our field was managed might have also affected our results.On the basis of the primarily research focused on understanding how earthworms participate and contribute towards improving soil quality (structure, nutrient dynamics and fertility), we subsequently focused on investigating how two plants (Vicia faba and Zea mays) and the Eisenia fetida earthworm contribute to uptake of different metals: Cd, Zn, Pb and Cu from the land surrounding of a former Zn-Pb ore treatment plant. Specifically, we tested whether the earthworm Eisenia fetida could act as a catalyzor to enhance
phytoremediation efficiency. After 42 days of exposure, our results showed that certain earthworm life-cycle traits are affected by metal contamination and by the addition of plants. Specifically, the concentrations of metals in earthworm tissues decreased in the presence of plants. Our findings demonstrate that earthworm activities modify the availability of metals in soils, enhancing metal uptake by plants. This innovative system offers new investigation possibilities by considering earthworm-plant-soil interaction. In conclusion, this work confirmed that earthworms are important catalyzor optimizing the phytoremediation processes of polluted soils.