Lithium salt type effect on behaviour of Eisenia andrei in short-test avoidance assay

Abstract

Various lithium (Li) salts have been used to evaluate Li impacts on soil, difficulting the comparison of results and conclusions on emerging contamination. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Li in the form of two salts, Li₂CO₃ (CLi) and Li₂SO₄ (SLi), through an avoidance test with Eisenia andrei, using avoidance behaviour as parameter. Five Li concentrations (0, 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg kg⁻¹) in the form of CLi and SLi were tested. The effect of Li on E. andrei behaviour was evaluated based on avoidance percentage (%A) and AD₅₀ for each salt type. The results revealed significant effects (p<0.001) of the presence of both Li salts on the behaviour of E. andrei. The %A ranged from 26.7% to 91.1% for SLi and from 20% to 66.7% for CLi. The application of salts significantly influenced (p<0.001) soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC), with the greatest alkalizing and osmotic stress observed for CLi and SLi, respectively. Acid-base characteristics or water solubility may explain the differences found in AD₅₀ values estimated for SLi (202 mg kg^-1) and CLi (404 mg kg^-1).