In spite of the high relevance of lumbricid earthworms ('Oligochaeta': Lumbricidae) for soil structure and functioning, the taxonomy of this group of terrestrial invertebrates remains in a quasi-chaotic state. Earthworm taxonomy traditionally relies on the interpretation of external and internal morphological characters, but the acquisition of these data is often hampered by tedious dissections...

Land use-land cover change and management practices influence earthworm species composition and abundance. The natural and agroecosystems under study in the Indogangetic region have a depauperate earthworm fauna. This study provides evidence that agriculture intensification and soil sodicity can severely influence earthworm diversity, in which natural and less disturbed ecosystems had lower ear...

BACKGROUND Earthworms are key organisms in organic matter decomposition because of the interactions they establish with soil microorganisms. They enhance decomposition rates through the joint action of direct effects (i.e. effects due to direct earthworm activity such as digestion, burrowing, etc) and indirect effects (i.e. effects derived from earthworm activities such as cast ageing). Here we...

Earthworms play an active role in soil nitrogen cycling. Past research has shown that earthworm castings are enriched in NO3 ÿ and NH4 + and show a high potential for microbial nitri®cation and denitri®cation. Little information is available on microbial populations and N transformations in the 1±2 mm thick soil lining of earthworm burrows (the drilosphere). We measured nitrifying bacterial pop...

The effects of invasive earthworms on decomposition are little known, and the controls of their effect on decomposition may be different than those of microbes. Sugar maple–dominated forests previously devoid of earthworms in the western Great Lakes region (USA) exhibit different degrees of earthworm invasion, presenting a natural experiment to study its effects on litter decomposition. We hypo...

Climate change causes species range shifts and potentially alters biological invasions. The invasion of European earthworm species across northern North America has severe impacts on native ecosystems. Given the long and cold winters in that region that to date supposedly have slowed earthworm invasion, future warming is hypothesized to accelerate earthworm invasions into yet non-invaded region...

Atrazine and metolachlor were more strongly retained on earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris L.) castings than on soil, suggesting that earthworm castings at the surface or at depth can reduce herbicide movement in soil. Herbicide sorption by castings was related to the food source available to the earthworms. Both atrazine and metolachlor sorption increased with increasing organic carbon (C) conten...

• Earthworm remove PAHs from soil by bioaccumulation and stimulating microbial degradation. Biochar can adsorb promote degradation in soil. improve the adsorption process of biochar bioturbation. reduce vermiaccumulation decomposition earthworm. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pose a threat to health humans other organisms due their persistence. The remediation method combined applicati...

In the gut tissues and contents of the earthworm Pheretima (Metaphire) hilgendorfi, cellulase activity which contributes to the terrestrial ecosystem nutrient cycling has been detected. The origin of the cellulase production, whether it is the earthworm itself or the microorganisms, has not been established at the molecular level. In our study, a cellulase [endo-β-1,4glucanase (EGase), EC3.2.1....

BACKGROUND Infiltration is a key process in determining the water balance, but so far effects of earthworms, soil texture, plant species diversity and their interaction on infiltration capacity have not been studied. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We measured infiltration capacity in subplots with ambient and reduced earthworm density nested in plots of different plant species (1, 4, and 16 s...