Earthworm mucus contributes to the formation of organo-mineral associations in soil

Guhra, Tom; Stolze, Katharina; Schweizer, Steffen A.; Totsche, Kai Uwe

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107785

Cited by 67 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…[ 58 ] The bands at 1628 cm −1 (stretching vibration of CO, Amide I) and 1531 cm −1 (NH bending and CN stretching in CONH, Amide II) represent typical bands of proteins. [ 59 ] The spectrum of Hg‐adsorbed mucin had narrower and more distinct amide peaks, which may have resulted from the attachment of Hg 2+ to amide groups in amino acids in the protein. The bands at 1454 cm −1 , 1404 cm −1 , and 1329 cm −1 are attributed to CH 2 and COH (symmetrical deformations), COO groups (symmetric stretching), and OH (in‐plane bending vibration), respectively, all representing functional groups in oligosaccharides.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mucin‐Based Composites for Efficient Mercuric Biosorption

Gavriely

Richter

Zucker

2022

Advanced Sustainable Systems

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In this study, the extraordinary biosorption of mucin, a natural glycoprotein with selectivity towards metals in physiological processes, is leveraged to remove heavy metals from wastewater. The authors assess the performance of dissolved mucin for Hg2+ adsorption through studies of kinetics, capacity, and selectivity. The results show that mucin can adsorb more than 124 mg g−1 Hg2+ while exhibiting ultra‐fast kinetics, with an equilibrium reached in a few seconds. The adsorption levels are optimized in pHs higher than 4 and remain almost unchanged in the presence of background ions. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared analyses indicated that the sorption mechanism is dominated by electrostatic interactions and mercuric complexation with mucin's active sites, whereas the undesirable removal via mercuric reduction does not occur. To use mucin in a practical and green fashion for metal adsorption, mucin‐based solid structures, including films, beads, and nanofibers (NFs), are fabricated and assessed. Of these structures, the NFs show the best performance, with an uptake over 109 mg g−1 and a high structural stability over multiple adsorption and regeneration cycles. The findings point to the potential use of mucin as a future green alternative for metal biosorption for environmental applications.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mucin‐Based Composites for Efficient Mercuric Biosorption

Gavriely

Richter

Zucker

2022

Advanced Sustainable Systems

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“…In line with these results, the bacterial composition of the earthworm-absent groups was separated from that of earthworm-present groups along CAP1, suggesting that earthworms had a significant impact on the alpha as well as the beta diversity. 37 This may be attributed to the soil structural, chemical, and biological changes due to the earthworm activity and mucus excretion 40 and to the presence of microbes in the gut of earthworms, which in turn modify the abundance, diversity, and activity of soil microbes. 27,39,41 To further disentangle the interactive effects of CeO 2 NPs and earthworms on soil microbes, we separately compared the microbial responses to CeO 2 NPs in the absence or presence of earthworms (Figure 4).…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Commonwealth of Soil Health: How Do Earthworms Modify the Soil Microbial Responses to CeO₂ Nanoparticles?

Zhang

Qiu

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Soil ecotoxicological assays on nanoparticles (NPs) have mainly investigated single components (e.g., plants, fauna, and microbes) within the ecosystem, neglecting possible effects resulting from the disturbance of the interactions between these components. Here, we investigated soil microbial responses to CeO 2 NPs in the presence and absence of earthworms from the perspectives of microbial functions (i.e., enzyme activities), the community structure, and soil metabolite profiles. Exposure to CeO 2 NPs (50, 500 mg/kg) alone decreased the activities of enzymes (i.e., acid protease and acid phosphatase) participating in soil N and P cycles, while the presence of earthworms ameliorated these inhibitory effects. After the CeO 2 NP exposure, the earthworms significantly altered the relative abundance of some microbes associated with the soil N and P cycles (Flavobacterium, Pedobacter, Streptomyces, Bacillus, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes). This was consistent with the pattern found in the significantly changed metabolites which were also involved in the microbial N and P metabolism. Both CeO 2 NPs and earthworms changed the soil bacterial community and soil metabolite profiles. Larger alterations of soil bacteria and metabolites were found under CeO 2 NP exposure with earthworms. Overall, our study indicates that the top-down control of earthworms can drastically modify the microbial responses to CeO 2 NPs from all studied biological aspects. This clearly shows the importance of the holistic consideration of all soil ecological components to assess the environmental risks of NPs to soil health.

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“…This is because earthworm plays crucial role on soil architecture and aeration. Their burrowing activity contributes to breakdown of organic matter and bioturbation to enhance turnover of organic residue, which in turn influence soil fertility (Guhra et al 2020). More so, gut microbiomes present in exposed worms may have been negatively affected to impact on exposed organisms and the overall health of the environment.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity of Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in Mining Soil from Ijero-Ekiti, Nigeria

Agbo¹,

Mustapha²,

Ogaugwu³

et al. 2021

jasem

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Excavation and processing of mineral deposits are valuable revenue sources yet they contribute serious environmental problems worldwide. Mining activities are widespread and contribute to heavy metal contamination in rural communities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Available research failed to establish how mining soil may impact on resident terrestrial organisms. This study assessed the health of soil from active mining site by testing it on earthworms (Eisenia fetida) for 10 weeks. Survival, mobility, morphology and behaviour of worms were assessed while soil was analyzed for selected heavy metals by atomic absorption spectrometry. Worm survival was evident as the proportion of reference soil increased in exposure mixture and improved until 92% in the control. Worms curled up at the bottom of test vessels with varying proportions of mining site soil and appeared discolored and dehydrated when taken out of test soil, with characteristic sluggishness, particularly as the proportion of mining soil increased in exposure mixtures. Though metal levels were within permissible limits, morphology of exposed worms were visibly impacted, which corresponds in severity with increasing proportion of mining soil. On the contrary, worms tested in 100% reference soil appeared healthy and active in upper part of exposure vessels. These results suggest that the tested mining soil had adverse impacts on mobility, morphology, behavior and survival of exposed organisms when compared with the control population. Therefore, food products grown downstream of the mining site may be at risk of heavy metal contamination with consequences on food quality, water quality and food chain.

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Earthworm mucus contributes to the formation of organo-mineral associations in soil

Cited by 67 publications

References 46 publications

Mucin‐Based Composites for Efficient Mercuric Biosorption

Mucin‐Based Composites for Efficient Mercuric Biosorption

Commonwealth of Soil Health: How Do Earthworms Modify the Soil Microbial Responses to CeO₂ Nanoparticles?

Sensitivity of Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in Mining Soil from Ijero-Ekiti, Nigeria

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Earthworm mucus contributes to the formation of organo-mineral associations in soil

Cited by 67 publications

References 46 publications

Mucin‐Based Composites for Efficient Mercuric Biosorption

Mucin‐Based Composites for Efficient Mercuric Biosorption

Commonwealth of Soil Health: How Do Earthworms Modify the Soil Microbial Responses to CeO2 Nanoparticles?

Sensitivity of Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) in Mining Soil from Ijero-Ekiti, Nigeria

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Commonwealth of Soil Health: How Do Earthworms Modify the Soil Microbial Responses to CeO₂ Nanoparticles?