Assessing Bioindication with Earthworms in An Intensively Farmed Rural Landscape (Yuanqiao and Daqiao Villages in Qianjiang Municipality, Located in Hubei Province, Subtropical China)

Fang, Ping; Wu, Wen Liang; Xu, Qin; Jiahai, He; Chunru, Han; Paoletti, M. G.

doi:10.1080/07352689991309324

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…However, the Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were higher in this study, suggesting a fierce interspecific competition in urban parks. Compared to the arable land in Hubei province in mid-south China [39], the density and biomass of adult earthworms were higher in this study, while the species richness was lower (Table 1). The heterogeneity of the earthworm ecological characteristics in the different studies might be attributed to the variation of land use types [41].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Factors Influencing Earthworm Fauna in Parks in Megacity Beijing, China: An Application of a Synthetic and Simple Index (ESI)

Xie

Wang

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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Complicated factors in urban areas have been reported to impact the density, biomass, and diversity of earthworm fauna. Urban parks provide essential habitats for earthworm fauna. However, how earthworm fauna are impacted by park traits, such as construction age, distance to city center, visitor volumes, sizes of greenspaces/parks, and attractiveness, etc., still remains unknown. These traits are well characterized by the impacts of urbanization intensity and administration quality of parks in megacities. Therefore, 16 parks with gradients of construction ages and geographical locations in Beijing city were selected for investigation. Furthermore, an earthworm synthetic and simple index (ESI) for characterizing earthworm community has been developed to compensate for the lack of robustness by using single ecological indexes. The results showed that earthworm population density (38.6 ind/m2) and biomass (34.0 g/m2) in parks were comparable to those in other land use types in Beijing. Ecological groupings were dominated by disturbance-tolerant endogeic and deep soil-inhabiting anecic groups, and most of them were adults. The earthworm population was influenced by urbanization intensity, while the earthworm community composition, species biodiversity, and ESI were affected by administration quality of parks. The soil moisture and microbial biomass carbon were the key factors in shaping earthworm assemblages. ESI could be employed as an effective indicator in depicting character of earthworm fauna. This study highlighted the impacts of park traits on earthworms in urban parks. The variation in park traits that influence earthworm fauna was probably attributed to soil properties.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Factors Influencing Earthworm Fauna in Parks in Megacity Beijing, China: An Application of a Synthetic and Simple Index (ESI)

Xie

Wang

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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“…A nocturnal pattern of activity also is well established for European badgers (M. meles- Kruuk 1978aKruuk , 1978bKruuk , 1989Parish 1981, 1982;Lindsay and Macdonald 1985;Neal 1986), presumably because foraging for earthworm prey at night is energetically more rewarding (Kowalczyk et al 2003;Kruuk 1978a;Macdonald 1980). Earthworms (families Moniligastridae, Megascolecidae, and Lumbricidae, and among these, Amynthas hupeiensis and Metaphire guillelmi- Fang et al 1999) appear to represent about 40% of the annual diet of our study population (Qian et al 1976;Wu 1999), suggesting that similar energetic concerns may influence the timing of activity in our study animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Ranging and activity patterns of the group-living ferret badger Melogale moschata in central China

Zhang

Wang

Zhou

et al. 2010

Journal of Mammalogy

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Patterns of space use can provide valuable insights into patterns of activity and social structure of poorly known mammal species. From April 2005 to November 2006 we radiotracked a low-density population of ferret badgers (Melogale moschata) in central China. Fourteen males and 8 females were caught. Nine of these individuals (6 males and 3 females) were followed; mean (6 SD) 100% minimum convex polygon (MCP100) home range was 128.3 6 131.9 ha, with no difference between sexes. For MCP100, neither nightly movement distances nor daily activity patterns revealed significant variation due to sex or season. Core areas (50% minimum convex polygon [MCP50]) were typically located centrally within overall home ranges. Two distinct groups of animals were evident in the radiotracked subpopulation, one consisting of 7 adults and the other composed of at least the 2 remaining collared badgers with field signs of additional badgers from the periphery of our study area. Within each group, home ranges of radiocollared individuals overlapped extensively (62.1% 6 26.5% for MCP100; 59.6% 6 23.0% for MCP95; 37.1% 6 24.5% for MCP50), and up to 4 adults per group shared the same burrow (sett). We consider the implications of our data for understanding of mustelid sociospatial behavior.

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“…Certain anthropogenic habitats within the breeding range exhibit earthworm abundance comparable to natural forests ( e.g. , hedges in agricultural landscape, Fang et al, 1999 ; Fig. 4B ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing dietary specialization to inform the conservation of the fairy pitta (Pitta nympha), an endangered vermivore

Park,

Ha,

Kim

et al. 2024

PeerJ

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Quantifying the diet of endangered species is crucial for conservation, especially for diet specialists, which can be more susceptible to environmental changes. The vulnerable fairy pitta (Pitta nympha) is considered a specialist that primarily feeds its nestlings with earthworms. However, there have been few studies of the nestling diet provisioned by parents, and no assessments of earthworm proportion in the diet of adults. Our study aimed to fill these gaps, shedding light on crucial factors for conservation. Combining new observations with existing literature, we confirmed a consistent dominance of earthworms in the nestling diet, regardless of rainfall, nestling age, and time of day. We extrapolated the total earthworm consumption during a breeding event, accounting for potential variation in the availability of earthworms and their prevalence in the adult diet. We used literature-based earthworm densities in pitta habitats and our estimates of family earthworm consumption to calculate the habitat area that could provide a pitta family with the number of earthworms consumed during a breeding event. The predictions matched observed pitta home range sizes when assumed that the adult diet is comprised of approximately 70% earthworms. The results highlight the importance of earthworm-rich habitats for conservation planning of the fairy pitta. To mitigate the effects of habitat destruction, we discuss conservation practices that may involve enhancing earthworm abundance in natural habitats and providing vegetation cover for foraging pittas in adjacent anthropogenic habitats rich in earthworms. To guide conservation efforts effectively, future studies should investigate whether previously reported breeding in developed plantation habitats is due to high earthworm abundance there. Future studies should also quantify correlations between local earthworm densities, home range size, and the breeding success of the fairy pitta.

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Assessing Bioindication with Earthworms in An Intensively Farmed Rural Landscape (Yuanqiao and Daqiao Villages in Qianjiang Municipality, Located in Hubei Province, Subtropical China)

Cited by 9 publications

References 16 publications

Factors Influencing Earthworm Fauna in Parks in Megacity Beijing, China: An Application of a Synthetic and Simple Index (ESI)

Factors Influencing Earthworm Fauna in Parks in Megacity Beijing, China: An Application of a Synthetic and Simple Index (ESI)

Ranging and activity patterns of the group-living ferret badger Melogale moschata in central China

Assessing dietary specialization to inform the conservation of the fairy pitta (Pitta nympha), an endangered vermivore

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