Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) Eco-physiological Characteristics in Vermifiltration System for Wastewater Treatment Through Analyzing Differential Proteins

Wang, Yin; Xing, Meiyan; Yang, Jian

Earthworm (Eisenia fetida) Eco-physiological Characteristics in Vermifiltration System for Wastewater Treatment Through Analyzing Differential Proteins

2017

Wang, Yin | Xing, Meiyan | Yang, Jian

A vermifilter (with earthworms, VF), with a conventional biofilter (no earthworms, BF) as a control, was established to examine the survival state and adaptability of earthworms in protein perspective. The VF behaved with a significantly higher organic matter decomposition and lower sludge yield due to the presence of earthworms. However, during the steady stage (12 months), the earthworm biomass decreased slightly from 32.0 to 24.2 g/L, while the earthworm average weight increased, indicating that the earthworm suffered some adverse effects from the VF. Notably, from the perspective of the earthworm protein, the earthworms showed a higher Shannon-Weaver index (from H = 2.76 to 3.06) than the BF and up-regulated some proteins to cope with the negative effects from the VF. These up-regulated differential proteins played a variety of crucial roles in many cellular processes. The results suggested that a more specialized and stable protein expression of earthworms was developed in the VF, reflecting the adaptabilities of the earthworms in the VF.

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