The enzymes O-seryl-A-acetylgalactosaminide glycosidase and A-acetyl-/?-D-hexosaminidase were found in the following invertebrates and vertebrates: Adamsia palliata, Mesostoma ehrenbergi, Bugula avicularia, Lumbricus terrestris, Pagurus prideauxi, Helix pomatia, Ciona intestinalis, Brachidanio albolineatus, Rana esculenta, chicken and ox. They were assayed by their action on neuraminic acid-fre...

While many blood substitutes are based on mammalian hemoglobins (e.g., human hemoglobin, HbA), the naturally extracellular hemoglobins of invertebrates (a.k.a. erythrocruorins, Ecs) are intriguing alternative oxygen carriers. Specifically, the erythrocruorin of Lumbricus terrestris has been shown to effectively deliver oxygen in mice and rats without the negative side effects observed with HbA....

Although neonicotinoids are targeted at insects, their predominant use as a seed dressing and their long persistence in soils mean that non-target soil organisms such as earthworms are likely to be chronically exposed to them. Chronic exposure may pose risks that are not evaluated in most toxicity tests. We experimentally tested the effect of field-realistic concentrations of a commonly used ne...

introduction: among soil species earthworms are ubiquitous, abundant and important for soil processes, constituting the largest terrestrial faunal biomass and are also impacted by soil pollutants. the primary purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in earthworm biomass and behavior could serve as a good indicator for copper toxicity in soil systems. another aim of the study was t...

The resting membrane potential (V(m)) of isolated somatic longitudinal muscles of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris was studied by glass microelectrodes. The inhibition of chloride permeability by low pH did not affect V(m) of the muscle fibers in isolated somatic longitudinal muscles of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris which was -48.7 mV (inside negative) at pH 7.3 and -49.1 at pH 5.6. On t...

1. Sensory neural units responding to sinusoidal stretching of the body wall were studied in the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris L. 2. A phasic stretch-sensitive unit found in segmental nerve I responded optimally to stretching at frequencies of 4-6/min. 3. The number of spikes per stretch and the spike frequency in the unit were directly related to the amplitude of the applied stretch within a...

Unrestricted use of herbicides to control weeds in agriculture causes a decrease sensitive individual populations soil biota, among which Lumbricus terrestris should be noted. Because they make up fairly significant part the living biomass and play an important role functioning soil. The continuous-acting can cause not only 100% lethality, but also affect functioning, growth, reproduction habit...

This study compared the uptake and depuration of four commonly used pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diclofenac, fluoxetine and orlistat) in two earthworm species (Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia fetida). L. terrestris are a larger species and often found in deep burrows whereas E. fetida prefer to reside near the soil surface. Species burrowing habits and sizes may alter uptake by earthworms. ...

The taxonomic structure of yeast communities was studied in forest litter and soil, as well as in substrates transformed by the activity of Lumbricus terrestris earthworms (leaves in heaps, the gut contents, and coproliths). The activity of L. terrestris has a weak effect on the total yeast abundance but results in substantial changes in the community taxonomic composition. The share of ascomyc...