The oligochaete Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri at Foundry Cove (FC), New York evolved genetic resistance to cadmium (Cd) and lost resistance after contaminated sediments were removed by dredging. Selection (on survival time in dissolved Cd) was used to generate tolerance to evaluate fitness cost, the commonplace expectation for evolutionary reversal. The hypothesis that gene flow from neighboring pop...

This study reviews certain physiological digestive parameters in the literature that could be used to predict tissue residues in aquatic oligochaetes using the biodynamic model. Predictions were evaluated with independently measured Cd bioaccumulation data in sediment bioassays and field oligochaetes. The parameter review focused on three species commonly used in ecotoxicity testing and bioaccu...

The study was carried out to ascertain benthic macro-invertebrates checklist in the Cross River, Nigeria and using it for bio-indication of the river quality. A total of 186 benthos specimens were collected. The phylum Insecta was most abundant (96) representing 51.61% of total benthos abundance; followed by Oligochaeta 60 (32.25%), Nemertea 10 (5.37%), Hirudiae 8 (4.3%), Cladocera 6 (3.22%), A...

Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Claparede, 1862 is a cosmopolitan Oligochaeta widely used as indicator of organic pollution in water bodies. Previous contributions have shown the effects of organic matter and temperature on the life history of the species, although very little is known about the factors that influence its reproduction. This study aimed 1) to test whether the larger weight of individua...

Levy flights are employed in a lattice model of contaminant migration by bioturbation, the reworking of sediment by benthic organisms. The model couples burrowing, foraging, and conveyor-belt feeding with molecular diffusion. The model correctly predicts a square-root dependence on bioturbation rates over a wide range of biomass densities. The model is used to predict the effect of bioturbation...