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Impacts of earthworm species on soil acidification, Al fractions, and base cation release in a subtropical soil from China

  • Earthworm and Soil Pollution
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Abstract

Soil-exchangeable aluminum (Al) has toxic effects on living organisms in acidic soils. Earthworm presence and activity can alter soil pH, which has a significant influence on Al toxicity. However, the effects of earthworms on soil Al toxicity and fractions are still largely unknown. This laboratory study focused on the effects of three earthworm species (endogeics Pontoscolex corethrurus and Amynthas robustus, anecis Amynthas aspergillum) on soil acidification, Al fraction distribution, and base cation release. Three native earthworm species and a soil (latosolic red soil) collected from a botanical garden in South China were incubated under laboratory conditions. After 40 days of incubation, six Al fractions in soil, namely exchangeable (AlEx), weakly organically bound (AlOrw), organically bound (AlOr), amorphous (AlAmo), Al occluded in crystalline iron oxides (AlOxi), and amorphous aluminosilicate and gibbsite (AlAag) fractions, were extracted using a sequential procedure. Soil pH; organic carbon; total nitrogen; total Al (AlTotal); exchangeable K, Na, Ca, Mg contents; and CEC were determined as well. Compared to control soil, pH values increased by 0.79, 0.41, and 0.57 units in casts in the presence of P. corethrurus, A. robustus, and A. aspergillum, and 0.70, 0.32, and 0.50 units in non-ingested soil, respectively. Compared to control soil, the 61.7%, 30.7%, and 36.1% of AlEx contents in casts and 68.5%, 25.9%, and 39.0% of AlEx in non-ingested soil significantly decreased with the addition of P. corethrurus, A. robustus, and A. aspergillum, respectively. Moreover, compared to control soil, the 78.7%, 37.7%, and 40.1% of exchangeable Ca2+ and 12.3%, 24.7%, and 26.8% of exchangeable Mg2+ contents in casts significantly increased with the presence of P. corethrurus, A. robustus, and A. aspergillum, respectively. Soil treated with P. corethrurus had higher soil pH values, exchangeable Ca2+ contents, and lower AlEx than those with A. robustus and A. aspergillum. Results of principal component analyses showed that P. corethrurus, A. robustus, and A. aspergillum casts and non-ingested soil differ for soil pH, Al fractions, and exchangeable base cations release. These results indicate that earthworms, especially P. corethrurus, can reduce soil Al toxicity, increase soil pH, and affect the release of exchangeable base cations.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Qijun Yang, Haoyu Wang, and Huan Qian for laboratory assistance.

Funding

This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41201305 and 41601227) and National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0201301 and 2016YFD0201200).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, 483 Wushan Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510642, China

    Jialong Wu, Chi Zhang, Ling Xiao, Zongling Ren, Ting Deng & Jun Dai

  2. Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation in South China, Ministry of Agriculture People’s Republic of China, Guangzhou 510642, China

    Jialong Wu, Chi Zhang, Ling Xiao, Zongling Ren, Ting Deng & Jun Dai

  3. Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Land and Resources for Construction Land Transformation, Guangzhou 510642, China

    Jialong Wu, Chi Zhang, Ling Xiao, Zongling Ren, Ting Deng & Jun Dai

  4. Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Land Use and Consolidation, Guangzhou 510140, China

    Jialong Wu, Chi Zhang, Ling Xiao, Zongling Ren, Ting Deng & Jun Dai

  5. Université d’Orléans, CNRS/INSU Institut des Sciences de la Terre d’Orléans, UMR 7327, Campus Géosciences, 1A rue de la Férollerie, 41071, Orleans, France

    Mikael Motelica-Heino

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  1. Jialong Wu
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Correspondence to Chi Zhang or Jun Dai.

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Highlights

• P. corethrurus decreased 61.7% exchangeable Al content significantly in cast compared to control soil.

• P. corethrurus was more effective to reduce soil acidification than A. robustus and A. aspergillum.

• Casts had higher exchangeable Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, CEC, TN, and SOC than non-ingested soil for the three earthworms.

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Wu, J., Zhang, C., Xiao, L. et al. Impacts of earthworm species on soil acidification, Al fractions, and base cation release in a subtropical soil from China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 33446–33457 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05055-8

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