Ecological Functions of Earthworms in Soil
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Nottingham Trent University Different Land Use Effect
NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY DIFFERENT LAND USE EFFECT ON EARTHWORMS AT SAFE PROJECT SITE IN SABAH, BORNEO by SRI VENKATESWARA RAO Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the MSc. Endangered Species Recovery & Conservation 2013 Abstract Earthworms are a major component of the soil biota as ‘ecosystem engineers’ sensitive to disturbance and the impact of deforestation on earthworms remains as one the least studied subject in tropical Borneo whose rainforest is fast disappearing due to logging and intensive agriculture. As such, this study investigated the impact of land use disturbance on earthworms by comparing their abundance per m2 across forest modification gradient and measured changes in environmental variables across the gradient and their subsequent effect on earthworms. Old growth (OG2), secondary logged forest (B and F) and oil palm (OP2 and OP3) sites were surveyed in SAFE Project site in Sabah, Borneo. Transect and monolith digging methods were employed to sample earthworms from soil. At each monolith, environmental variables were measured to characterise each land use by canopy exposure, litter depth and forest quality and soil samples were taken to analyse soil properties. Earthworm abundance was highest in OG2 and decreased across the disturbance gradient and was significantly lower in OP2 indicating some level of tolerance between old growth and secondary forest system. However, functional group response and changes in functional group composition varied significantly between land uses and corresponded significantly to variation in environmental variables which also significantly differed between land uses. Changes in functional group response potentially show greater implication for soil function and the ecosystem services derived from the processes. -
The Effect of Irrigation with Wastewaters on the Abundance of Bio-Indicators in Established Short Rotation Coppice Willow Plantations
The effect of irrigation with wastewaters on the abundance of bio-indicators in established short rotation coppice willow plantations By James Feighan For the degree of Masters of Science (Environmental Science) Supervisor: Dr Ann Marie Duddy Submitted to Institute of Technology, Sligo December, 2014 Abstract This study investigated the effect of irrigation with wastewaters on the abundance of earthworms, mites and springtails in established short rotation coppice willow plantations. The study examined two different sites in Northern Ireland over two consecutive irrigation periods in 2012 and 2013. Site one (8,100m2) was located at Culmore, Co. Derry and was irrigated with primary treated effluent from a nearby wastewater treatment plant at a rate of 30m3/ha/d. Site two (23,700m2) was located at Hillsborough, Co. Down and was irrigated at variable rates (18, 34 and 44 m3/ha/d) with dairy parlour washings from an on-site farm. Earthworms were extracted by a combination of chemical extraction (mustard solution) and hand-sorting. Mites and springtails were extracted using Berlese-Tullgren funnels. Earthworms proved to be useful bio-indicators to monitor the impact of irrigation with dairy wastewater at site two since their abundance significantly decreased at the highest irrigation rates used at this site (i.e. 34 and 44 m3/ha/day). The abundance of earthworms was not significantly affected by irrigation with municipal wastewater at site one. A variety of earthworm species were recovered in sites one and two (n=8 and n=11, respectively) but the majority of these were present in low numbers. Acid-tolerant earthworm species occurred in greatest numbers at both sites. -
Taxonomic Assessment of Lumbricidae (Oligochaeta) Earthworm Genera Using DNA Barcodes
European Journal of Soil Biology 48 (2012) 41e47 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect European Journal of Soil Biology journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ejsobi Original article Taxonomic assessment of Lumbricidae (Oligochaeta) earthworm genera using DNA barcodes Marcos Pérez-Losada a,*, Rebecca Bloch b, Jesse W. Breinholt c, Markus Pfenninger b, Jorge Domínguez d a CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal b Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Lab Centre, Biocampus Siesmayerstraße, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany c Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602-5181, USA d Departamento de Ecoloxía e Bioloxía Animal, Universidade de Vigo, E-36310, Spain article info abstract Article history: The family Lumbricidae accounts for the most abundant earthworms in grasslands and agricultural Received 26 May 2011 ecosystems in the Paleartic region. Therefore, they are commonly used as model organisms in studies of Received in revised form soil ecology, biodiversity, biogeography, evolution, conservation, soil contamination and ecotoxicology. 14 October 2011 Despite their biological and economic importance, the taxonomic status and evolutionary relationships Accepted 14 October 2011 of several Lumbricidae genera are still under discussion. Previous studies have shown that cytochrome c Available online 30 October 2011 Handling editor: Stefan Schrader oxidase I (COI) barcode phylogenies are informative at the intrageneric level. Here we generated 19 new COI barcodes for selected Aporrectodea specimens in Pérez-Losada et al. [1] including nine species and 17 Keywords: populations, and combined them with all the COI sequences available in Genbank and Briones et al. -
The Effect of Invasive Earthworm Lumbricus Terrestris on The
The Effect of Invasive Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris on the Distribution of Nitrogen in Soil Profile Sarah Adelson, Christine Doman, Gillian Golembiewski, Luke Middleton University of Michigan Biological Station, Spring 2009 Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if Lumbricus terrestris, an invasive earthworm in Northern Michigan, is redistributing nitrogen from the organic soil layer to the deeper, mineral soil layer. L. terrestris burrow 2 meters vertically into the ground and emerge to feed on freshly fallen leaf litter. The study included collecting of L. terrestris in 16 0.5 m square plots by method of electro-shock. Soil cores from a depth of 0-5 and 30-40 cm as well as leaf litter were taken from each plot to determine nitrogen content and nitrogen isotope ratios. Data analysis resulted in no significance between plots with earthworms and without earthworms in both nitrogen, N, isotope ratios and N content. Plots with L. terrestris showed no difference between the organic and mineral soil layer. This result suggests that L. terrestris are homogenizing soil layers. However, smaller than ideal sample sizes limit interpretive capacity of the results. Further research needs to be completed to confirm these perceived trends. The analysis of nitrogen isotope ratios suggest that there is another source of 15N other than leaf litter and L. terrestris that is contributing to soil composition and therefore the contribution of each was not conclusively determined. Introduction Invasion of an exotic species into an ecosystem is one of the leading threats to biologically diverse ecosystems throughout the world. Exotic species are initially introduced as a solution for food, farming, aesthetic purposes, or even accidentally. -
Scaling of the Hydrostatic Skeleton in the Earthworm Lumbricus Terrestris
© 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd | The Journal of Experimental Biology (2014) 217, 1860-1867 doi:10.1242/jeb.098137 RESEARCH ARTICLE Scaling of the hydrostatic skeleton in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris Jessica A. Kurth* and William M. Kier ABSTRACT Many soft-bodied organisms or parts of organisms (e.g. terrestrial The structural and functional consequences of changes in size or and marine worms, cnidarians, echinoderms, bivalves, gastropods scale have been well studied in animals with rigid skeletons, but and nematodes) possess a hydrostatic skeleton. Hydrostatic relatively little is known about scale effects in animals with hydrostatic skeletons are characterized by a liquid-filled internal cavity skeletons. We used glycol methacrylate histology and microscopy to surrounded by a muscular body wall (Kier, 2012). Because liquids examine the scaling of mechanically important morphological features resist changes in volume, muscular contraction does not of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris over an ontogenetic size range significantly compress the fluid, and the resulting increase in internal from 0.03 to 12.89 g. We found that L. terrestris becomes pressure allows for support, muscular antagonism, mechanical disproportionately longer and thinner as it grows. This increase in the amplification and force transmission (Chapman, 1950; Chapman, length to diameter ratio with size means that, when normalized for 1958; Alexander, 1995; Kier, 2012). mass, adult worms gain ~117% mechanical advantage during radial Animals supported by hydrostatic skeletons range in size from a expansion, compared with hatchling worms. We also found that the few millimeters (e.g. nematodes) to several meters in length (e.g. cross-sectional area of the longitudinal musculature scales as body earthworms), yet little is known about scale effects on their form and mass to the ~0.6 power across segments, which is significantly lower function. -
Size Variation and Geographical Distribution of the Luminous Earthworm Pontodrilus Litoralis (Grube, 1855) (Clitellata, Megascolecidae) in Southeast Asia and Japan
A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 862: 23–43 (2019) Size variation and distribution of Pontodrilus litoralis 23 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.862.35727 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Size variation and geographical distribution of the luminous earthworm Pontodrilus litoralis (Grube, 1855) (Clitellata, Megascolecidae) in Southeast Asia and Japan Teerapong Seesamut1,2,4, Parin Jirapatrasilp2, Ratmanee Chanabun3, Yuichi Oba4, Somsak Panha2 1 Biological Sciences Program, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand 2 Ani- mal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand 3 Program in Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture Technology, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand 4 Department of Environmental Biology, Chubu University, Kasugai 487-8501, Japan Corresponding authors: Somsak Panha ([email protected]), Yuichi Oba ([email protected]) Academic editor: Samuel James | Received 24 April 2019 | Accepted 13 June 2019 | Published 9 July 2019 http://zoobank.org/663444CA-70E2-4533-895A-BF0698461CDF Citation: Seesamut T, Jirapatrasilp P, Chanabun R, Oba Y, Panha S (2019) Size variation and geographical distribution of the luminous earthworm Pontodrilus litoralis (Grube, 1855) (Clitellata, Megascolecidae) in Southeast Asia and Japan. ZooKeys 862: 23–42. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.862.35727 Abstract The luminous earthworm Pontodrilus litoralis (Grube, 1855) occurs in a very wide range of subtropical and tropical coastal areas. Morphometrics on size variation (number of segments, body length and diameter) and genetic analysis using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene sequence were conducted on 14 populations of P. -
French Mediterranean Islands As a Refuge of Relic Earthworm Species: Cataladrilus Porquerollensis Sp
European Journal of Taxonomy 701: 1–22 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.701 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2020 · Marchán D.F. et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Research article urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D9291955-F619-46EA-90E1-DA756D1B7C55 French Mediterranean islands as a refuge of relic earthworm species: Cataladrilus porquerollensis sp. nov. and Scherotheca portcrosana sp. nov. (Crassiclitellata, Lumbricidae) Daniel F. MARCHÁN 1,3,*, Thibaud DECAËNS 2,*, Darío J. DÍAZ COSÍN 3, Mickaël HEDDE 4, Emmanuel LAPIED 5 & Jorge DOMÍNGUEZ 6 1,6 Grupo de Ecoloxía Animal (GEA), Universidade de Vigo, E-36310 Vigo, Spain. 2 CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France. 3 Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. 4 UMR Eco&Sols, INRAE–IRD–CIRAD–SupAgro Montpellier, 2 Place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 2, France. 5 Taxonomia Biodiversity Fund, 7 rue Beccaria, 72012, Paris, France. * Corresponding authors: [email protected]; [email protected] 3 Email: [email protected] 4 Email: [email protected] 5 Email: [email protected] 6 Email: [email protected] 1 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:3B3731B6-B5FB-409A-A7A3-99FD0F96D688 2 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:B61F61B2-3012-4526-8FF9-DC94D372AF77 3 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:38538B17-F127-4438-9DE2-F9D6C597D044 4 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:F4A219F7-7E75-4333-8293-3004B3CD62C5 5 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:B1FB8658-DFC3-481C-A0BE-B8488A018611 6 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:167575D5-D2CC-4B37-8B1D-0233E6B154E5 Abstract. -
Annelida, Lumbricidae) - Description Based on Morphological and Molecular Data
A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 399: A71–87 new (2014) earthworm species within a controversial genus: Eiseniona gerardoi sp. n... 71 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.399.7273 RESEARCH ARTICLE www.zookeys.org Launched to accelerate biodiversity research A new earthworm species within a controversial genus: Eiseniona gerardoi sp. n. (Annelida, Lumbricidae) - description based on morphological and molecular data Darío J. Díaz Cosín1,†, Marta Novo1,2,‡, Rosa Fernández1,3,§, Daniel Fernández Marchán1,|, Mónica Gutiérrez1,¶ 1 Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/ José Antonio Nováis 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain 2 Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, BIOSI 1, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10, 3TL, UK3 Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA † http://zoobank.org/38538B17-F127-4438-9DE2-F9D6C597D044 ‡ http://zoobank.org/79DA5419-91D5-4EAB-BC72-1E46F10C716A § http://zoobank.org/99618966-BB50-4A01-8FA0-7B1CC31686B6 | http://zoobank.org/CAB83B57-ABD1-40D9-B16A-654281D71D58 ¶ http://zoobank.org/E1A7E77A-9CD5-4D67-88A3-C7F65AD6A5BE Corresponding author: Darío J. Díaz Cosín ([email protected]) Academic editor: R. Blakemore | Received 17 February 2014 | Accepted 25 March 2014 | Published 9 April 2014 http://zoobank.org/F5AC3116-E79E-4442-9B26-2765A5243D5E Citation: Cosín DJD, Novo M, Fernández R, Marchán DF, Gutiérrez M (2014) A new earthworm species within a controversial genus: Eiseniona gerardoi sp. n. (Annelida, Lumbricidae) - description based on morphological and molecular data. ZooKeys 399: 71–87. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.399.7273 Abstract The morphological and anatomical simplicity of soil dwelling animals, such as earthworms, has limited the establishment of a robust taxonomy making it sometimes subjective to authors’ criteria. -
(Title of the Thesis)*
Rethinking restoration ecology of tallgrass prairie: considering belowground components of tallgrass restoration in southern Ontario by Heather Anne Cray A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social and Ecological Sustainability Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2019 ©Heather Anne Cray 2019 Examining Committee Membership The following served on the Examining Committee for this thesis. The decision of the Examining Committee is by majority vote. External Examiner Dr. Andrew MacDougall Associate Professor, Guelph University Supervisor(s) Dr. Stephen Murphy Professor & Director, University of Waterloo Internal Member Dr. Andrew Trant Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo Internal-external Member Dr. Rebecca Rooney Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo Other Member(s) Dr. Greg Thorn Associate Professor, Western University ii Author's Declaration This thesis consists of material all of which I authored or co-authored: see Statement of Contributions included in the thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. iii Statement of Contributions This thesis contains five chapters that are collaborative efforts of multiple researchers that will be submitted into peer-reviewed journals. Heather Cray is first author on all contributing papers and therefore was responsible for the development, data collection, data analysis and preparation of each of the manuscripts found in this dissertation. The written portions of all manuscripts, including figures and tables, were completed in their entirety by Heather Cray and edited for content and composition by thesis supervisor Dr. -
Earthworms Diversity (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) and Casting Chemical Composition in an Urban Park from Western Romania
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. Vol. 30, No. 1 (2021), 645-654 DOI: 10.15244/pjoes/123187 ONLINE PUBLICATION DATE: 2020-09-02 Original Research Earthworms Diversity (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) and Casting Chemical Composition in an Urban Park from Western Romania Mădălina Iordache1*, Clara Tudor2, Liliana Brei2 1University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Banat “King Michael the Ist of Romania”, Faculty of Agriculture, Calea Aradului Street, No. 119, 300645 Timişoara, Romania Department of Sustainable Development and Environmental Engineering, 2Office for Pedological and Agrochemical Studies Timis County, Calea Aradului Street No. 119, 300645 Timisoara, Romania Received: 25 January 2020 Accepted: 31 May 2020 Abstract This paper aimed to establish the species diversity of earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) and the chemical composition of earthworm surface castings within an urban park from west side of Romania (Timişoara City): Plevnei Park (45°44’58’’N, 21°13’38’’E). Eight lumbricid earthworm species have been identified: Lumbricus terrestris, Aporrectodea rosea, Aporrectodea longa, Aporrectodea caliginosa, Allolobophora chlorotica, Dendrobaena veneta, Dendrobaena octaedra, Dendrodrilus rubidus. Based on species incidence, several ecological indicators have been calculated: the constancy of earthworm species in the sampling areas, the Sørensen similarity of sampling points as species composition, and the Jaccard similarity (coenotic affinity) of the earthworm species within the sampled points. The surface castings have been -
Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of the Columbia River Basin Assessment Area
United States Department of Agriculture Earthworms (Annelida: Forest Service Pacific Northwest Oligochaeta) of the Research Station United States Columbia River Basin Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Assessment Area Management General Technical Sam James Report PNW-GTR-491 June 2000 Author Sam Jamesis an Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, IA 52557-1056. Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of the Columbia River Basin Assessment Area Sam James Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project: Scientific Assessment Thomas M. Quigley, Editor U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Portland, Oregon General Technical Report PNW-GTR-491 June 2000 Preface The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project was initiated by the USDA Forest Service and the USDI Bureau of Land Management to respond to several critical issues including, but not limited to, forest and rangeland health, anadromous fish concerns, terrestrial species viability concerns, and the recent decline in traditional commodity flows. The charter given to the project was to develop a scientifically sound, ecosystem-based strategy for managing the lands of the interior Columbia River basin administered by the USDA Forest Service and the USDI Bureau of Land Management. The Science Integration Team was organized to develop a framework for ecosystem management, an assessment of the socioeconomic biophysical systems in the basin, and an evalua- tion of alternative management strategies. This paper is one in a series of papers developed as back- ground material for the framework, assessment, or evaluation of alternatives. It provides more detail than was possible to disclose directly in the primary documents. -
The Giant Palouse Earthworm (Driloleirus Americanus)
PETITION TO LIST The Giant Palouse Earthworm (Driloleirus americanus) AS A THREATENED OR ENDANGERED SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT June 30, 2009 Friends of the Clearwater Center for Biological Diversity Palouse Audubon Palouse Prairie Foundation Palouse Group of the Sierra Club 1 June 30, 2009 Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior Robyn Thorson, Regional Director U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1849 C Street N.W. Pacific Region Washington, DC 20240 911 NE 11th Ave Portland, Oregon Dear Secretary Salazar, Friends of the Clearwater, Center for Biological Diversity, Palouse Prairie Foundation, Palouse Audubon, Palouse Group of the Sierra Club and Steve Paulson formally petition to list the Giant Palouse Earthworm (Driloleirus americanus) as a threatened or endangered species pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (”ESA”), 16 U.S.C. §1531 et seq. This petition is filed under 5 U.S.C. 553(e) and 50 CFR 424.14 (1990), which grant interested parties the right to petition for issuance of a rule from the Secretary of Interior. Petitioners also request that critical habitat be designated for the Giant Palouse Earthworm concurrent with the listing, pursuant to 50 CFR 424.12, and pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (5 U.S.C. 553). The Giant Palouse Earthworm (D. americanus) is found only in the Columbia River Drainages of eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Only four positive collections of this species have been made within the last 110 years, despite the fact that the earthworm was historically considered “very abundant” (Smith 1897). The four collections include one between Moscow, Idaho and Pullman, Washington, one near Moscow Mountain, Idaho, one at a prairie remnant called Smoot Hill and a fourth specimen near Ellensberg, Washington (Fender and McKey- Fender, 1990, James 2000, Sánchez de León and Johnson-Maynard, 2008).