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earthworm-ecology

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Cadmium-cleanup mineral stresses one earthworm species, spares another

PubMed · 2026-05-22

A mineral treatment used to lock cadmium pollution out of soil works well chemically, but it temporarily stresses one type of earthworm more than another, and disturbs soil microbes for a few weeks before things settle down.

1

3% nano-hydroxyapatite raised soil pH by 0.50-0.55 units and cut available cadmium by 21.3-27.6%, effectively immobilizing the metal.

2

Eisenia fetida (a surface-dwelling earthworm) suffered reduced survival and biomass at day 14 under 3% treatment, while Amynthas robustus (a burrowing species) showed no such harm.

3

High-dose treatment briefly suppressed total soil microbial biomass early on, but overall community structure recovered and stayed largely stable over the 42-day study.

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