Overview
ISO 17512-2:2011 - Soil quality - Avoidance test for determining the quality of soils and effects of chemicals on behaviour - Part 2: Test with collembolans (Folsomia candida) specifies a rapid, cost‑effective screening method to evaluate soil habitat function using the avoidance behaviour of springtails (collembolans). The test reflects the bioavailability of contaminants in natural soils and of substances spiked into soils and allows establishment of dose–response relationships. The behavioural endpoint is avoidance, and the method is explicitly not intended to replace the Collembola reproduction test (ISO 11267).
Key technical topics and requirements
- Test organism: Folsomia candida from synchronized cultures (typically 10–12 days old or alternatively adults).
- Test principle: Paired‑choice vessels split into control and test soil; 20 springtails are placed on the boundary and after a 48 h exposure the distribution is counted to determine avoidance.
- Replicates and validity: Five replicates per treatment; test invalid if >20% mortality or missing organisms at end of test.
- Substrate preparation:
- Sieve natural soils to ≤2 mm (≤5 mm acceptable in difficult soils).
- Adjust moisture to ~40–60% of maximum water‑holding capacity (WHC); determine WHC (Annex D).
- Measure pH (1 mol/L KCl) and water content per ISO 10390 and ISO 11465.
- A specified artificial soil composition is provided for standard substrate use.
- Apparatus and conditions:
- Cylindrical test containers (200–300 ml) with ~3–4 cm soil depth.
- Environmental conditions: (20 ± 2) °C, light 400–800 lx, 12:12–16:8 h light/dark.
- Endpoints and analysis:
- Calculation of percentage avoidance, determination of NOEC/LOEC and ECx (e.g., EC50).
- Reference substance: Phenmedipham recommended for method performance checks.
- Supporting material: Annexes cover rearing techniques, test chambers, procedures for testing chemicals and WHC determination.
Practical applications and users
ISO 17512-2 is used for:
- Preliminary screening of contaminated sites to assess habitat function and ecological risk.
- Ecotoxicology laboratories conducting behavioural bioassays for soil quality monitoring.
- Environmental regulators and remediation consultants needing rapid assessment of bioavailable contaminants.
- Research groups comparing sensitivity of soil invertebrates or validating remediation outcomes.
Typical users: soil ecotoxicologists, environmental laboratories, remediation professionals, regulatory agencies and researchers focused on soil quality and biodiversity.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 17512-2:2011, soil quality, avoidance test, Folsomia candida, collembolans, bioavailability, habitat function, ecotoxicology, NOEC, LOEC, EC50.
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