ABSTRACT
In this chapter we explore the use of earthworms for modeling chemical-induced immunotoxic potential of xenobiotics in terrestrial ecosystems. We begin by listing the credentials of earthworms for use in ecoimmunotoxicology. Next, we briefly describe the earthworm immune system and highlight the immune functions that we believe qualify them as attractive candidates for use as immune markers (i.e., biomarkers of immunotoxicity) in ecological risk assessment. In the remainder
of the chapter, we offer our thoughts on what should guide the selection of and research on earthworm immune markers for use in ecotoxicology by focusing on four essential elements: (1) normalization of exposure metrics across taxon-specific toxicokinetics; (2) consideration of and control for natural variation in immune marker performance, and influence of ambient conditions on the performance; (3) use of pathogen-challenge assays to document significance of immune marker effect; and (4) affirmative linkage of immune markers to endpoints having ecological significance.
