To be most energetically profitable, predators should ingest prey with the maximal nutritional benefit while minimizing the cost of processing. Therefore, when determining the quality of prey items, both the cost of processing and nutritional content must be considered. Specific dynamic action (SDA), the increase in metabolic rate associated with feeding in animals, is a significant processing ...

The effects of land management including sugarcane, horticultural crops (citrus, avocado and banana), forestry (gum, wattle and pine), kikuyu pasture, native forest and native grassland on the size and composition of the earthworm community on sugarcane estates in northern KwaZulu-Natal was investigated. Earthworm numbers followed the order: burnt sugarcane < trashed sugarcane = grassveld = gum...

Noninvasive geophysical methods have a great potential for improving soil-biological studies at field or regional scales: they enable the rapid acquisition of soil information which may help to identify potential habitats for soil biota. A precondition for this application is the existence of close relationships between geophysical measurements and the soil organism of interest. This study was ...

It is known that in vermicomposting soil layer in bedding of the reactor helps in earthworm biomass growth and reproduction but growth is influenced by soil characteristics such as texture, pH, and water holding capacity. The present study was conducted to asses the influence of soils on earthworm biomass growth and reproduction during the vermicomposting of source separated human faeces. The s...

Human alteration of atmospheric composition affects foliar chemistry and has possible implications for the structure and functioning of detrital communities. In this study, we explored the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaf litter chemistry, earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) individual consumption and growth, and springtail (Sinella curviseta) popula...

A greenhouse mesocosm experiment, representing earthworm-free North American Acer-dominated forest Xoor and soil conditions, was used to examine the individual and combined eVects of initial invasion by three European earthworm species (Dendrobaena octaedra, Lumbricus rubellus and Lumbricus terrestris) on the forest Xoor and upper soil horizons, N and P availability, and the mortality and bioma...

Interactions among the foraging behaviours of co-occurring animal species can impact population and community dynamics; the consequences of interactions between plant and animal foraging behaviours have received less attention. In North American forests, invasions by European earthworms have led to substantial changes in plant community composition. Changes in leaf litter have been identified a...

The present study aims to conduct a review on the potential use of insect meal as an alternative protein source in poultry feed, particularly serve rearing free-range chickens. Insects are already part diet birds their natural habitat, and availability low-cost foods with low environmental impact is essential for development activity. comprehended studies that used meals consisting silkworm (Bo...