Earthworms are ecosystem engineers, capable of modifying the soil environment they inhabit. Recent evidence indicates that they increase the mobility and availability of potentially toxic elements in soils, but a quantitative synthesis of the evidence required to understand mechanisms and identify soils most susceptible to earthworm-induced potentially toxic element mobilisation is lacking. We undertook a meta-analysis of 42 peer reviewed journal studies, comprising 1185 pairwise comparisons between earthworm-inhabited and earthworm-free soils to quantify the impact of earthworms on potentially toxic element mobility in bulk earthworm-inhabited soil and earthworm casts, and on plant uptake and concentration. We find that endogeic and epigeic earthworms increase the mobility of potentially toxic elements in the bulk soil, and earthworms from all ecological groups mobilise potentially toxic elements during passage of soil through the earthworm gut. We also observe an increase in the concentration and uptake of potentially toxic elements by plants growing on soils inhabited by epigeic (mostly Eisenia fetida) earthworms. Earthworms mobilise potentially toxic elements in geogenic soils to a greater extent than anthropogenically contaminated soils. Soils with very low (<2%) soil organic matter content are most susceptible to earthworm-induced potentially toxic element mobilisation. These findings have important implications for the ability of exotic earthworms to alter soil biogeochemical cycles when introduced to new environments. Mixing amendments with contaminated soils with the intention of reducing the mobility of potentially toxic elements may be aided by the activity of earthworms that accelerate the mixing processes. Furthermore, our findings also highlight a promising phenomenon that, if harnessed, may help to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies in degraded soils.

are是生态系统工程师，能够改变其居住的土壤环境。最近的证据表明，它们增加了土壤中潜在有毒元素的流动性和可用性，但是缺乏了解机理和确定最易受worm诱导的潜在有毒元素动员的土壤所需证据的定量综合。我们对42篇同行评审的期刊研究进行了荟萃分析，其中包括1185对in和无worm土壤之间的成对比较，以量化worm对散装earth和土cast以及植物中潜在毒性元素迁移的影响。摄取和集中。我们发现内生and和表生ge增加了散装土壤中潜在有毒元素的迁移率，在土壤穿过groups肠道的过程中，所有生态学界的都动员了潜在的有毒元素。我们还观察到生长在附生植物（主要是土壤）上的植物在植物体内的浓度和对潜在有毒元素的吸收增加ise（Eisenia fetida）earth。geo比人为污染的土壤更广泛地动员了地源性土壤中潜在的有毒元素。土壤有机质含量极低（<2％）的土壤最容易受到worm诱导的潜在有毒元素的动员。这些发现对引入新环境的外来earth改变土壤生物地球化学循环的能力具有重要意义。为了减少潜在有毒元素的迁移而将改性剂与受污染的土壤混合，可以通过accelerate的活性来加速混合过程。此外，我们的发现还突出了一种有前途的现象，如果加以利用，它可能有助于减轻退化土壤中微量营养素的缺乏。