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Keywords = earthworm mucus

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18 pages, 5236 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Bacterial Community Structures in Earthworm Skin, Gut, and Habitat Soil across Typical Temperate Forests
by Kang Wang, Ning Yuan, Jia Zhou and Hongwei Ni
Microorganisms 2024, 12(8), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081673 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1572
Abstract
Earthworms are essential components in temperate forest ecosystems, yet the patterns of change in earthworm-associated microbial communities across different temperate forests remain unclear. This study employed high-throughput sequencing technology to compare bacterial community composition and structure in three earthworm-associated microhabitats (skin, gut, and [...] Read more.
Earthworms are essential components in temperate forest ecosystems, yet the patterns of change in earthworm-associated microbial communities across different temperate forests remain unclear. This study employed high-throughput sequencing technology to compare bacterial community composition and structure in three earthworm-associated microhabitats (skin, gut, and habitat soil) across three typical temperate forests in China, and investigated the influence of environmental factors on these differential patterns. The results indicate that: (1) From warm temperate forests to cold temperate forests, the soil pH of the habitat decreased significantly. In contrast, the physicochemical properties of earthworm skin mucus exhibited different trends compared to those of the habitat soil. (2) Alpha diversity analysis revealed a declining trend in Shannon indices across all three microhabitats. (3) Beta diversity analysis revealed that the transition from warm temperate deciduous broad-leaved forest to cold temperate coniferous forest exerted the most significant impact on the gut bacterial communities of earthworms, while its influence on the skin bacterial communities was comparatively less pronounced. (4) Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were the predominant phyla in earthworm skin, gut, and habitat soil, but the trends in bacterial community composition differed among the three microhabitats. (5) Mantel tests revealed significant correlations between bacterial community structures and climatic factors, physicochemical properties of earthworm habitat soil, and physicochemical properties of earthworm skin mucus. The findings of this study offer novel perspectives on the interplay between earthworms, microorganisms, and the environment within forest ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Environmental Microbiology)
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13 pages, 2393 KiB  
Article
Improvement and Stability of Soil Organic Carbon: The Effect of Earthworm Mucus Organo-Mineral Associations with Montmorillonite and Hematite
by Yuxuan Li, Siyue Feng, Lin Wang, Chencen Lei, Hongbo Peng, Xinhua He, Dandan Zhou and Fangfang Li
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5458; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135458 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1656
Abstract
Improving soil carbon storage and stability plays an important role in the development of sustainable agricultural production and mitigating climate change. Earthworms are widely distributed in soil environments; earthworm mucus (EM) can interact with natural mineral materials to form EM–mineral association, enriching soil [...] Read more.
Improving soil carbon storage and stability plays an important role in the development of sustainable agricultural production and mitigating climate change. Earthworms are widely distributed in soil environments; earthworm mucus (EM) can interact with natural mineral materials to form EM–mineral association, enriching soil carbon storage. However, it is unclear how minerals affect the formation and oxidation degradation of EM–mineral associations. Herein, the interactions between EM and natural mineral materials (hematite ore (HO) and montmorillonite (MT)) were investigated. The carbon stability of EM–mineral associations was analyzed based on their chemical oxidative resistance. EM interacted with HO/MT through ligand exchange, hydrogen bonding interaction, and electrostatic attraction. Compared to EM that was extracted under pH 5.0 (EM5) or 9.0 (EM9), EM obtained at pH7 (EM7) contained more protein and polysaccharide components, and was greatly adsorbed by HO/MT. Moreover, EM showed a stronger sorption affinity to MT than HO. The stronger oxidation resistance of EM–MT than EM–HO was revealed by its higher carbon retention, suggesting the vital role of MT in protecting biogenically excreted organic carbon from degradation. Earthworms in neutral environments could substantially promote the establishment of organo-mineral associations. This study provides guidance for promoting soil carbon sequestration through agricultural management and is beneficial to the sustainability of the soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Environmental Geochemistry)
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11 pages, 5926 KiB  
Communication
Development of an Earthworm-Based Intestinal Soft Robot Equipped with a Gripper
by Gongxin Li, Wei Qiu, Hao Wen, Mindong Wang and Fei Liu
Machines 2022, 10(11), 1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines10111057 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2118
Abstract
An endoscopy is a tool that is used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body by inserting directly into the organ. However, intestinal endoscopy is not friendly to patients due to discomfort, and it can easily cause [...] Read more.
An endoscopy is a tool that is used to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body by inserting directly into the organ. However, intestinal endoscopy is not friendly to patients due to discomfort, and it can easily cause intestinal damage or even perforation due to the use of the rigid materials of the endoscopy. Here, we provide an earthworm-based intestinal soft robot equipped with a gripper for application on intestinal exams or surgery. The intestinal soft robot is composed of a frontal radial actuator, a central axial actuator, a rear radial actuator and a gripper. The first three actuators drive the robot to move freely in some specific pipes by altering its own deformation, and the gripper, fixed at the end of the frontal radial actuator, is used to pick up “foreign bodies” into and out of the pipes for the purpose of intestinal applications. The different experiments validated that the intestinal soft robot could move forward and backward autonomously in a rigid pipe, a flexible pipe, and a mucus-containing pipe and could extract objects from these pipes. The ultimate weight that the intestinal soft robot extracts is up to 220 g, and the maximum moving speed is 12.0 cm/min in the rigid pipe. This intestinal soft robot is non-destructive to the operating environment, providing a friendly and novel method for the application of intestinal diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Robotics, Mechatronics and Intelligent Machines)
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10 pages, 1538 KiB  
Review
Vermicompost and Its Derivatives against Phytopathogenic Fungi in the Soil: A Review
by Kasahun Gudeta, Ankeet Bhagat, Jatinder Mohan Julka, Reshma Sinha, Rachna Verma, Arun Kumar, Shailja Kumari, Fuad Ameen, Sartaj Ahmad Bhat, Ryszard Amarowicz and Mamta Sharma
Horticulturae 2022, 8(4), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8040311 - 7 Apr 2022
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 6630
Abstract
Synthetic chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, are abundantly used in agriculture to enhance soil fertility and prevent the occurrence of diseases, respectively. Many studies have reported a negative influence of these chemicals on the soil environment. Natural sources from earthworms and their [...] Read more.
Synthetic chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, are abundantly used in agriculture to enhance soil fertility and prevent the occurrence of diseases, respectively. Many studies have reported a negative influence of these chemicals on the soil environment. Natural sources from earthworms and their products, as a result of vermicomposting, may be considered better alternatives. The aim of this review was to reveal the source of antifungal efficiency of vermicompost and its derivatives, such as vermiwash, coelomic fluid, skin secretion of earthworms, and metabolites from decomposer bacteria in vermicompost, in order to highlight their application in agriculture. The synergistic activity of bioactive compounds present in coelomic fluid, mucus, skin secretion, and metabolites from associated bacteria (decomposer) assisted crop plants for effective action against various soil pathogenic fungi, such as Rhizoctoniasolani, Alternaria solani, Aspergillus niger, A.flavus, Fusariumoxysporum, and F. graminearum. Thus, these bioactive metabolites can be recommended to suppress plant fungal diseases. Vermicompost and its derivatives should be considered for use in agricultural fields to control harmful soil fungi and increase crop productivity. Full article
21 pages, 3670 KiB  
Article
Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) Mucus Inspired Bionic Fertilizer to Stimulate Maize (Zea mays L.) Growth
by Zhihong Zhang, Yali Wu, Vi Khanh Truong and Dongguang Zhang
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4299; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084299 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4104
Abstract
Background: Increasing population and food consumption are placing unprecedented demands on crop production. Maize is one of the most important food crops in the world, the improvement of its yield primarily depends on the application of chemical fertilizer. Methods: Earthworm activity is an [...] Read more.
Background: Increasing population and food consumption are placing unprecedented demands on crop production. Maize is one of the most important food crops in the world, the improvement of its yield primarily depends on the application of chemical fertilizer. Methods: Earthworm activity is an essential factor in promoting soil fertility and stimulating plant growth. Inspired by amino acids composition of earthworm (Eisenia fetida) epidermal mucus, the liquid fertilizer was developed and prepared by utilizing a bionic approach. The influence of earthworm epidermal mucus (mucus), the mucus-mimicked mixture of amino acids (bionic fertilizer) and urea fertilizer (urea) on maize emergence and growth were studied and compared with the control group (distilled water). Experimental cultivation tests were conducted. The aforementioned three types of liquid fertilizer effects on maize seed vigor index, seedling emergence rate and plant quality were quantitatively evaluated. Results: Based on the conducted research, it was found that the beneficial effects of different fertilizers for maize emergence rate were ranked as follows: mucus > bionic fertilizer > urea. The low concentration treatments were beneficial to the maize emergence, while the high concentration treatments were helpful to the maize growth and root development. Besides, the lower concentration of mucus was the most effective fertilizer treatment for improving seedling quality. In addition, the test results of three types of liquid fertilizer effects on maize growth indicated that the higher concentration treatments provided more nitrogen nutrition than lower concentration treatments. Furthermore, the maize stem height and diameter were significantly promoted (p < 0.05) by the three types of liquid fertilizer. The beneficial influences of liquid fertilizer treatments for plant height, stem diameter, relative chlorophyll content and photosynthetic characteristic of leaves were ranked as follows: bionic fertilizer > urea > mucus. Conclusions: Bionic fertilizer demonstrated significant beneficial fertilizing effects (p < 0.05), which increased soil nutrients, improved maize physiological parameters, promote its growth and improved dry matter accumulation. The tested results verified the effectiveness of bionic fertilizer on stimulating maize growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Agricultural Production of Crop Plants)
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6 pages, 592 KiB  
Article
Effects of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans on Phagocytic Response of Eisenia andrei Coelomocytes
by Hayet Belmeskine, Pauline Brousseau, Sami Haddad, Louise Vandelac and Michel Fournier
J. Xenobiot. 2011, 1(1), e6; https://doi.org/10.4081/xeno.2011.e6 (registering DOI) - 19 Oct 2011
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 227
Abstract
The immunotoxicological effects of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) mixtures on Eisenia andrei earthworms have never been studied. In this work we investigated these effects both for in vitro and in vivo exposure, using the viability and the phagocytic activity of coelomocytes as [...] Read more.
The immunotoxicological effects of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) mixtures on Eisenia andrei earthworms have never been studied. In this work we investigated these effects both for in vitro and in vivo exposure, using the viability and the phagocytic activity of coelomocytes as immunological biomarkers and the flow cytometry was used for analysis. The in vitro exposure revealed a cytotoxic effect of PCDD/Fs mixture (C2) containing 50 × 10-3 ng/mL of 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD and an induction of the phagocytic capacity at the mixture (C1) containing 25 × 10-3 ng/mL of 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD. In the in vivo filter paper exposure, the immunocompetence of earthworms was assessed after 3 h-exposure to mixtures of PCDD/Fs at the levels of C1, C2, C3 and C4 containing about; 0.05, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.83 ng of 2, 3, 7, 8-TCDD/cm², respectively. Morphological observations showed an excessive secretion of mucus and body surface lesions in worms exposed to higher concentrations (C3 and C4), which revealed that these organisms were affected by PCDD/Fs either through skin and/or by feeding. The levels of the extruded cell yield decreased significantly at all the concentrations tested. However, the cell viability was shown to be unaffected by PCDD/Fs concentrations. It was also shown, that exposure to the highest PCDD/Fs concentrations; C2, C3 and C4 inhibited both phagocytic activity and efficiency. Full article
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