Earthworms are important members of the soil macrofauna.Since C.Darwin(1881)described the important function of earthworms in pedogenesis and in maintenance of soil fertility,there has been continual interest in study...Earthworms are important members of the soil macrofauna.Since C.Darwin(1881)described the important function of earthworms in pedogenesis and in maintenance of soil fertility,there has been continual interest in studying earthworm biology and ecology.Most of the attention in such studies is on earthworm functions in soil nutrient recycling.However,with increasing concerns about the environment,studies using earthworms to mediate organic waste treatment and as an indicator of soil pollution and remediation strategies have grown rapidly in recent years.展开更多
As ecosystem engineers,earthworms play a key role in the soil environment.However,due to increasing anthropogenic pressure,soil organisms,including earthworms,are being threatened by habitat loss.In this study,we unde...As ecosystem engineers,earthworms play a key role in the soil environment.However,due to increasing anthropogenic pressure,soil organisms,including earthworms,are being threatened by habitat loss.In this study,we undertook a qualitative and quantitative investigation of earthworms of the family Lumbricidae in four types of Carpathian beech woodland(Fagetum carpaticum),characterized by their understory vegetation(I,F.c.festucetosum drymejae;Ⅱ,F.c.typicum;Ⅲ,F.c.lunarietosum;and IV,F.c.allietosum),in the Bieszczady National Park(Eastern Carpathians,Southeast Poland).At each investigated site,soil monoliths(25 cm×25 cm×25 cm)were examined by hand sorting.Earthworms were expelled from deep soil layers using a weak formalin solution(0.4%).Depending on the phytocoenosis,7 species of Lumbricidae were identified at each of the sites I,Ⅱ,andⅢand 10 at site IV.Site IV(F.c.allietosum)differed significantly(P<0.05)from the other three sites with respect to earthworm biomass(59.71±39.53 g m^(-2))and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index(0.52±0.12).Although present three decades ago,the deep-burrowing species Octodrilus transpadanus and the litter-dwelling species Dendrobaena octaedra were not found at site IV in the present study.We suspect that these two species may have been displaced by the invasive Lumbricus terrestris,which was not found at the same site in the 1980s.Such observations warrant further investigation to verify the predicted effects of an invasive earthworm,including the potential effects on soils and other fauna and flora,which have been documented in numerous countries.展开更多
文摘Earthworms are important members of the soil macrofauna.Since C.Darwin(1881)described the important function of earthworms in pedogenesis and in maintenance of soil fertility,there has been continual interest in studying earthworm biology and ecology.Most of the attention in such studies is on earthworm functions in soil nutrient recycling.However,with increasing concerns about the environment,studies using earthworms to mediate organic waste treatment and as an indicator of soil pollution and remediation strategies have grown rapidly in recent years.
文摘As ecosystem engineers,earthworms play a key role in the soil environment.However,due to increasing anthropogenic pressure,soil organisms,including earthworms,are being threatened by habitat loss.In this study,we undertook a qualitative and quantitative investigation of earthworms of the family Lumbricidae in four types of Carpathian beech woodland(Fagetum carpaticum),characterized by their understory vegetation(I,F.c.festucetosum drymejae;Ⅱ,F.c.typicum;Ⅲ,F.c.lunarietosum;and IV,F.c.allietosum),in the Bieszczady National Park(Eastern Carpathians,Southeast Poland).At each investigated site,soil monoliths(25 cm×25 cm×25 cm)were examined by hand sorting.Earthworms were expelled from deep soil layers using a weak formalin solution(0.4%).Depending on the phytocoenosis,7 species of Lumbricidae were identified at each of the sites I,Ⅱ,andⅢand 10 at site IV.Site IV(F.c.allietosum)differed significantly(P<0.05)from the other three sites with respect to earthworm biomass(59.71±39.53 g m^(-2))and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index(0.52±0.12).Although present three decades ago,the deep-burrowing species Octodrilus transpadanus and the litter-dwelling species Dendrobaena octaedra were not found at site IV in the present study.We suspect that these two species may have been displaced by the invasive Lumbricus terrestris,which was not found at the same site in the 1980s.Such observations warrant further investigation to verify the predicted effects of an invasive earthworm,including the potential effects on soils and other fauna and flora,which have been documented in numerous countries.
