Common fungicide harms earthworms' gut health and reproduction
Liu S, Xue Y, Ge Y, Huang G, Wang J
Soil Health
The earthworms tilling and aerating your garden soil right now could be quietly poisoned by a fungicide commonly used to fight nematodes in soil.
Scientists found that fluopyram, a fungicide farmers and gardeners use to control soil nematodes, accumulates inside earthworms and throws their bodies out of balance. It triggers cell-damaging stress inside the worms and messes up the community of bacteria in their gut, which then leaves them struggling to grow and reproduce normally. Since earthworms are one of the best indicators of healthy soil, this is a red flag for anyone relying on soil-applied fungicides.
Key Findings
Fluopyram accumulated in earthworm guts at 2.73 mg/kg, suppressing both growth and reproduction
The fungicide triggered oxidative stress via the JNK signaling pathway, confirmed through transcriptome analysis
Digestive enzyme activity dropped and gut microbial network complexity/stability were disrupted
chevron_right Technical Summary
A common soil fungicide called fluopyram builds up in earthworms' guts, stunting their growth and reproduction while damaging their digestive system and gut bacteria. Since earthworms are essential for healthy soil, this raises concerns about the hidden environmental costs of this widely used pest-control chemical.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Molecular to tissue-level perspective: Evaluating the toxicity and ecological risk of fluopyram to Eisenia fetida.
Fluopyram, a succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicide, is applied to soil for the control of nematode diseases. However, its toxicity to non-target soil organisms such as earthworms remai...
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