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The Role of Earthworms in Mercury Pollution Soil Assessment

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Environment, Energy and Climate Change I

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 32))

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Abstract

Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant with different highly toxic chemical forms that can be bioaccumulated and biomagnified. Up to now most studies on Hg pollution have focused on aquatic ecosystems, and this is why little information about Hg in terrestrial ecosystems is currently available. However, the impact of Hg pollution on the terrestrial environment and food chain is of great interest for its human health implications. In this context, earthworms, which constitute a major component in soil ecosystems and act as a food source for a wide variety of organisms, are an excellent option to study Hg biochemistry in terrestrial ecosystems. The use of earthworms as bioindicators of Hg soil pollution involves a wide number of variables to be considered since the metal–biota interaction is very complicated in this case. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to review the role of earthworms as bioindicators of Hg pollution in soils.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Analytical Chemistry and Food Technology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry, University of Castilla-La Mancha, E-45071, Toledo, Spain

    Rosa Carmen Rodríguez Martín-Doimeadiós, Francisco Javier Guzmán Bernardo, Nuria Rodríguez Fariñas & María Jiménez Moreno

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  1. Rosa Carmen Rodríguez Martín-Doimeadiós
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  2. Francisco Javier Guzmán Bernardo
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  3. Nuria Rodríguez Fariñas
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  4. María Jiménez Moreno
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Correspondence to Rosa Carmen Rodríguez Martín-Doimeadiós .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Ciudad Real, Spain

    Elena Jiménez

  2. Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Ciudad Real, Spain

    Beatriz Cabañas

  3. CERTES-IUT, The University Paris-Est Créteil, Paris Créteil, France

    Gilles Lefebvre

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Rodríguez Martín-Doimeadiós, R.C., Guzmán Bernardo, F.J., Rodríguez Fariñas, N., Jiménez Moreno, M. (2014). The Role of Earthworms in Mercury Pollution Soil Assessment. In: Jiménez, E., Cabañas, B., Lefebvre, G. (eds) Environment, Energy and Climate Change I. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2014_271

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