No abstract

To assess the conservation status of the Balkans earthworm species from genus Helodrilus and to establish priorities for conservation, we propose an objective and sensitive separate analysis based on the Conservation Priority Index (CPI). Validity of the threatened species in our ranking system was tested by comparing the results with the IUCN (2001) Red List Categories and Criteria: version 3.

The position of Serbia contributes to the great biodiversity of earthworms on its territory. The abundance of the earthworm fauna of Serbia is a consequence of the diversity of its climatic and edaphic factors (intersection of various zoogeographic regions), as well as of great orogenic changes in the past. These factors have made Serbia, as a central part of the Balkans, an important center of earthworm development.The aim of this paper is to present a list of earthworm species from the genus Serbiona in Serbia on the basis of our own and published data.

Herbicides and pesticides have a crucial role in agrotechnology, but can adversely affect beneficial soil organisms and thereby contribute to environmental concerns. This necessitates permanent monitoring of their use and effects on the growth and development of representatives of the soil macro and micro flora and fauna, particularly earthworms (Oligochaeta, Lummbricidae). Earthworms are highly susceptible to changes of ecological factors, particularly those intrinsic to the soil, and earthworm behavior can therefore reflect soil contamination. It is known that earthworms reflect changes taking place in the soil, particularly changes of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, as well as changes in the water-air and thermal regimes.