Experimental study of the effect of a glyphosate-based herbicide on a species of earthworm <i>Aporrectodea caliginosa</i> (Savigny, 1826)

This work aims to demonstrate the effect of a glyphosate-based herbicide on a species of earthworm, Aporrectodea caliginosa, to provide scientific justification for the species rarity in cultivated environments where this phytosanitary product is widely used. During the fifty-two days of contamination in the laboratory, the life traits monitored and evaluated were growth and mortality. Herbicide concentrations ranging from the lowest (C30) of around 240 L/kg to the highest (C210), equivalent to 1840 L/kg, were tested. The study found that the herbicide is toxic to the Aporrectodea caliginosa species, causing growth to slow and mortality to rise as concentrations rise. We report a delayed negative effect at low concentrations, which appears after several weeks of product exposure, depending on the exposure time. However, at the highest concentrations of the herbicide studied, the early negative effect is visible after the second week of exposure.