A STUDY OF THE BIODIVERSITY OF GUT MICROBIOTA OF Eisenia fetida IN RESPONSE TO CONTAMINATION BY PESTICIDES AND METAL
Author(s):
Tanushree Tulsian Samanta, Ankita Das, Arpita Rani khamrai
Keywords:
Eisenia fetida, gut microflora, pesticides, metal, enzymes
Abstract
The use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers in Indian agriculture has increased in recent years. Also, human activities have resulted in an increase in the concentrations of metals, metalloids and pesticides in urban and rural soils. These lead to disruptions to the natural biogeochemical cycles of metals and pesticides, thus, resulting into toxic effects on the beneficial fauna and flora. The present study observed the effects of two commercial pesticides Pendimetahlin (LC50-0.16 mg/Kg) and Chlorpyrifos (LC50- 0.062 mg/Kg) and the metal zinc on the gut microflora of the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Tiger worm). The pesticides and metal were applied in two different doses. Firstly, the bacterial and fungal diversity from the gut of Eisenia fetida was isolated and identified depending upon the morphological and biochemical tests. The isolated strains were identified as Bacillus sp., Clostridium sp., Vibrio sp. and Staphylococcus sp., while the fungi isolates were identified as Penicillium sp., Ulocladium sp., Exophiala sp. and Candida sp. Out of these isolated microbes, all the fungal isolates were found to produce the enzyme cellulase, xylanase and laccase. It has been observed that the CFU of these fungal isolates were reduced significantly when the earthworms were subjected to the pesticides and metals. Both the pesticides and metals were proved to be more detrimental for the enzyme-producing fungal isolates than the bacterial ones. Hence, this study throws light on the adverse effects of the use of these chemical pesticides and metal contamination on the beneficial microbes within the earthworm’s gut.
Article Details
Unique Paper ID: 153253

Publication Volume & Issue: Volume 8, Issue 6

Page(s): 239 - 246
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