Optimizing Earthworm Sampling in Ecosystems

Valckx, Jan; Govers, Gérard; Hermy, Martin; Muys, Bart

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-14636-7_2

Cited by 38 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…First, the litter-dwelling specimen was collected by hand-sorting of a litter sample within a 0.25 m 2 frame; then, the deep-burrowing specimen was captured at the soil surface by application of a mustard solution (60 g mustard powder in 30 L water, [38,39]) within the same 0.25 m 2 frame, and 30 min after mustard extraction, the surface soil dwelling specimen was collected by hand-sorting of a soil core taken in the center of the frame (0.09 m 2 with a 0.2 m depth). The earthworms were, for each of the three methods separately, collected in pots containing ethanol (95%) and after a few hours transferred to a 5% formalin solution for fixation.…”

Section: Earthworm Sampling and Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree Species Identity Shapes Earthworm Communities

Schelfhout

Mertens

Verheyen

et al. 2017

Forests

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Earthworms are key organisms in forest ecosystems because they incorporate organic material into the soil and affect the activity of other soil organisms. Here, we investigated how tree species affect earthworm communities via litter and soil characteristics. In a 36-year old common garden experiment, replicated six times over Denmark, six tree species were planted in blocks: sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), beech (Fagus sylvatica), ash (Fraxinus excelsior), Norway spruce (Picea abies), pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) and lime (Tilia cordata). We studied the chemical characteristics of soil and foliar litter, and determined the forest floor turnover rate and the density and biomass of the earthworm species occurring in the stands. Tree species significantly affected earthworm communities via leaf litter and/or soil characteristics. Anecic earthworms were abundant under Fraxinus, Acer and Tilia, which is related to calcium-rich litter and low soil acidification. Epigeic earthworms were indifferent to calcium content in leaf litter and were shown to be mainly related to soil moisture content and litter C:P ratios. Almost no earthworms were found in Picea stands, likely because of the combined effects of recalcitrant litter, low pH and low soil moisture content.

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Section: Earthworm Sampling and Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree Species Identity Shapes Earthworm Communities

Schelfhout

Mertens

Verheyen

et al. 2017

Forests

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“…Earthworms' abundance could have been underestimated in terms of anecic species as they can easily escape to deeper soil layers. For these ecotypes other different expulsion techniques are available (Valckx et al, 2011). Nevertheless, some authors say (Bartlett et al, 2006(Bartlett et al, , 2010 that behavioural expulsion techniques overestimate anecic species in comparison to endogeic species.…”

Section: Earthwormsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dairy Cattle Manure Effects on Soil Quality: Porosity, Earthworms, Aggregates and Soil Organic Carbon Fractions

et al. 2016

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In the European Union, the maintenance of soil quality is a key point in agricultural policy. The effect of additions of dairy cattle (Bos taurus) manure (DCM) during a period of 11 years were evaluated in a soil under irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) monoculture. DCM was applied at sowing, at wet-weight rates of 30 or 60 Mg ha À1 yr À1 (30DCM or 60DCM). These were compared with a mineral-N treatment (300 kg N ha À1 , MNF), applied at six to eight emerged leaves and with a control (no N, no manure). Treatments were distributed in a randomized block design. Factors analysed were stability against wetting stress disaggregation, porosity, soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and earthworm abundance, studied eight months after the last manure application. The application rate of 30DCM increased aggregate stability and the light SOC fraction, but not the pore volume, nor the earthworm abundance, compared with MNF. The DCM rates did not result in unbalanced agronomic advantages versus MNF, as high yields (12-16 Mg ha À1 yr À1 ) were obtained. In Mediterranean environments, the use of DCM should be encouraged mainly because of its contribution to the light SOC fraction which protects dry macro-aggregates from implosion (slaking) during the wetting process. Thus, in intensive agricultural systems, it protects soil from physical degradation.

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“…Then, additional earthworms were extracted from the soil within the same frame by mustard powder. Mustard expellants (6 g mustard powder L À1 ) were prepared in 10 L containers at least 12 h before use (Valckx et al, 2011). Thirty litres of this emulsion was applied per frame in several steps; the frequency of pouring depended on the percolation rate of the solution.…”

Section: Earthworm Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree species traits cause divergence in soil acidification during four decades of postagricultural forest development

Schrijver

Frenne

Staelens

et al. 2011

Global Change Biology

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A change in land use from agriculture to forest generally increases soil acidity. However, it remains unclear to what extent plant traits can enhance or mitigate soil acidification caused by atmospheric deposition. Soil acidification is detrimental for the survival of many species. An in-depth understanding of tree species-specific effects on soil acidification is therefore crucial, particularly in view of the predicted global increases in acidifying nitrogen (N) deposition. Here, we report soil acidification rates in a chronosequence of broadleaved deciduous forests planted on former arable land in Belgium. This region receives one of the highest loads of potentially acidifying atmospheric deposition in Europe, which allowed us to study a 'worst case scenario'. We show that less than four decades of forest development caused significant soil acidification. Atmospheric deposition undoubtedly and unequivocally drives postagricultural forests towards more acidic conditions, but the rate of soil acidification is also determined by the tree species-specific leaf litter quality and litter decomposition rates. We propose that the intrinsic differences in leaf litter quality among tree species create fundamentally different nutrient cycles within the ecosystem, both directly through the chemical composition of the litter and indirectly through its effects on the size and composition of earthworm communities. Poor leaf litter quality contributes to the absence of a burrowing earthworm community, which retards leaf litter decomposition and, consequently, results in forest-floor build-up and soil acidification. Also nutrient uptake and N 2 fixation are causing soil acidification, but were found to be less important. Our results highlight the fact that tree species-specific traits significantly influence the magnitude of human pollution-induced soil acidification.

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Optimizing Earthworm Sampling in Ecosystems

Cited by 38 publications

References 30 publications

Tree Species Identity Shapes Earthworm Communities

Tree Species Identity Shapes Earthworm Communities

Dairy Cattle Manure Effects on Soil Quality: Porosity, Earthworms, Aggregates and Soil Organic Carbon Fractions

Tree species traits cause divergence in soil acidification during four decades of postagricultural forest development

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