Lumbricidae

Satchell, J. E.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-395699-6.50013-4

Cited by 155 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The preference of earthworms for more acidic conditions could be explained by the deposition by the river of exogenous acidic material such as soil layers eroded from upstream banks, vegetation, mineral aggregates of various sizes, and organic matter. At the species level, A. chlorotica, E. tetraedra, and L. rubellus -three epigeic rstrategists with fast maturation and high reproduction rates (Bouché, 1972;Gerard, 1967;Satchell, 1967) -dominated the communities in GRAVELS and HERBS. E. tetraedra is considered as characteristic of river banks (Bouché, 1972) and indeed this species was among the species that bene-fitted most from the restoration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of earthworm communities and species traits in relation to the perturbation gradient of a restored floodplain

Fournier

Samaritani

Shrestha

et al. 2012

Applied Soil Ecology

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a b s t r a c tLittle is known about the diversity and ecology of earthworms in floodplains, as well as their response to natural and anthropic perturbations (e.g. floods, river channelisation, floodplain restoration). We characterised the patterns of earthworm communities and species traits in the different habitats of a lowland restored floodplain in Switzerland. In addition to classical species-based metrics, such as species richness and Shannon diversity, species traits were used to calculate the community weighted means (CWMs) of traits and functional dispersion (FDis). We hypothesised that trait-based metrics would reveal clearer patterns than classical approaches. The distribution of earthworm traits varied among habitats in relation to changes in flooding frequency: poorly developed gravel bar soils most exposed to flooding were characterised by high abundance of small epigeic species and low abundance of large anecic species. Differences in anecic and endogeic earthworm community structure matched flood frequency. In agreement with our hypothesis, CWMs were more strongly correlated to environmental variables than species composition, diversity, or functional diversity. Based on these results, the ratio of the relative abundances of epigeic and anecic species, and the differences in species composition within anecic and endogeic ecological types of earthworms were identified as indicators of soil development in floodplains.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of earthworm communities and species traits in relation to the perturbation gradient of a restored floodplain

Fournier

Samaritani

Shrestha

et al. 2012

Applied Soil Ecology

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“…Micro-arthropod population in soils e.g. Collembola in soils was increased in the presence of earthworms 50 . Micro-arthropods get attracted by earthworms through their action on surrounding soil, where water availability, aeration and pores size are improved 51 .…”

Section: Soil Biodiversity Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Role of Earthworm in Improving Soil Structure and Functioning

Sharma¹,

Tomar²,

Chakraborty³

2017

Current Science

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Earthworms commonly occur within the soil. They alter physico-chemical and biological regimes of the soil through their activities, such as burrowing, casting, feeding and propagating, and therefore are known as 'ecosystem engineers'. Through their activities, they provide a number of ecosystem services which are ecologically and socio-economically important. This article reviews the role of earthworms in improving soil structural and functional properties, which serves as key determinants of soil ecosystem services and economic benefits for the farmers. A methodology of economic evaluation of the agro-ecosystem services provided by earthworms has been demonstrated. Further, the information gaps and future research have been discussed for ensuring sustainable agroecosystems management.

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“…It has been estimated that through their nocturnal foraging on soil-surface litter, a dew-worm population alone is capable of burying the annual litter fall in a temperate deciduous forest in a single season (Satchell, 1967). In arable soils, high dew-worm populations can have an equally strong impact on crop residue incorporation (Subler and Kirsch, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dew-worms in white nights: High-latitude light constrains earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) behaviour at the soil surface

Nuutinen

Butt

Jauhiainen

et al. 2014

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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Soil is an effective barrier to light penetration that limits the direct influence of light on belowground organisms. Variation in aboveground light conditions, however, is important to soil-dwelling animals that are periodically active on the soil surface. A prime example is the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris L. (the dew-worm), an ecosystem engineer that emerges nocturnally on the soil surface. In the summer, the northernmost populations of L. terrestris are exposed to a time interval with no daily dark period. During a two-week period preceding the summer solstice, we studied the constraints that boreal night illumination imposes on L. terrestris surface activity by comparing their behaviour under ambient light with artificiallyinduced darkness. Looking for evidence of geographical divergence in light response, we compared the behaviour of native L. terrestris (Jokioinen, S-W Finland; 60º48'N) with two markedly more southern populations, from Preston (Lancashire, UK; 53º47'N) and Coshocton (Ohio, USA; 40º22'N) where the nights have a period of darkness throughout the year (total latitudinal range ca. 2 300 km). Under ambient light conditions, L. terrestris emergence on the soil surface was diminished by half compared with the darkened treatment and it peaked at the darkest period of the night. Also mating rate decreased considerably under ambient light. The native dew-worms were generally the most active under ambient light. They emerged earlier in the evening and ceased their activity later in the morning than dew-worms from the two more southerly populations. The differences in behaviour were, however, significant mainly between native and UK dew-worms. In the darkened treatment, the behaviour of the 2 three earthworm origins did not differ. Under the experimental conditions light condition was the dominant environmental factor controlling surface activity, but elevated night-time air temperature and humidity also encouraged dew-worm emergence without discernible differences among geographical origins. Our results show, that in boreal summer, the high level of night illumination strongly limits soil-surface activity of dew-worms. Considering the important regulatory role of L. terrestris in many ecosystem processes, this can have significant corollaries in dew-worm impacts on the environment. Although evidence for geographical differentiation in behaviour was obtained, the results point to phenotypic flexibility in L. terrestris light response.

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Lumbricidae

Cited by 155 publications

References 64 publications

Patterns of earthworm communities and species traits in relation to the perturbation gradient of a restored floodplain

Patterns of earthworm communities and species traits in relation to the perturbation gradient of a restored floodplain

Role of Earthworm in Improving Soil Structure and Functioning

Dew-worms in white nights: High-latitude light constrains earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) behaviour at the soil surface

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