Impact of earthworm <i>Lumbricus terrestris</i> living sites on the greenhouse gas balance of no-till arable soil

Abstract

Abstract.We studied the effect of the deep-burrowing earthworm Lumbricus terrestris on the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes and global warming potential (GWP) of arable no-till soil using both field measurements and a controlled 15-week laboratory experiment. In the field, the emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) were on average 43 and 32 % higher in areas occupied by L. terrestris (the presence judged by the surface midden) than in adjacent, unoccupied areas (with no midden). The fluxes of methane (CH 4 ) were variable and had no consistent difference between the midden and non-midden areas. Removing the midden did not affect soil N 2 O and CO 2 emissions. The laboratory results were consistent with the field observations in that the emissions of N 2 O and CO 2 were on average 27 and 13 % higher in mesocosms with than without L. terrestris. Higher emissions of N 2 O were most likely due to the higher content of mineral nitrogen and soil moisture under the middens, whereas L. terrestris respiration fully explained the observed increase in CO 2 emissions in the laboratory. In the field, the significantly elevated macrofaunal densities in the vicinity of middens likely contributed to the higher emissions from areas occupied by L. terrestris. The activity of L. terrestris increased the GWP of field and laboratory soil by 50 and 18 %, but only 6 and 2 % of this increase was due to the enhanced N 2 O emission. Our results suggest that high N 2 O emissions commonly observed in no-till soils can partly be explained by the abundance of L. terrestris under no-till management and that L. terrestris can markedly regulate the climatic effects of different cultivation practises.

Earthworms Coordinate Soil Biota to Improve Multiple Ecosystem Functions

“…Additionally, it seems that the reduction in N 2 O in the presence of earthworms accompanied with higher CO 2 emissions, which differed from the suggestion that earthworm-induced N 2 O emissions could be an inevitable side effect of increased CO 2 emissions from the increased decomposition and mineralization processes [5]. Because the meta-analysis was based on experiments without plants [5], more experimental works are needed to verify the earthworm-mediated net soil greenhouse gas emissions across various plant ecosystems [50].…”

Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris mediated redistribution of C and N into large macroaggregate-occluded soil fractions in fine-textured no-till soils

“…Nuutinen and Butt, 2003;Don et al, 2008), which open at the soil surface. These species feed on the surface litter which they pull down into their burrows and create litter and cast-made middens within sight on the soil surface (Subler and Kirsch, 1998;Nieminen et al, 2015). Epigeic species live near the soil surface feeding on surface litter while endogeic species mainly reside in the top soil making burrows with varying orientation while feeding on below ground SOM.…”

Earthworms in Brazilian no‐tillage agriculture: Current status and future challenges

“…The long‐term use of NT in many temperate regions with deep‐burrowing anecic earthworms (e.g., L. terrestris ) can also have important effects on organic matter incorporation, gas exchanges, water infiltration and nutrient movement in the soil profile (Ehlers, 1975; Nieminen, Hurme, Mikola, Regina, & Nuutinen, 2015; Shipilato & Le Bayon, 2004; Shuster, Subler, & McCoy, 2000; Subler & Kirsch, 1998), but these species are notably absent from NT fields studied in Brazil, which tend to have mostly endogeic and epi‐endogeic species (Table 1).…”