Earthworm ecology

Earthworm Ecology, SECOND EDITION......Page 2
Preface......Page 4
About the Editor......Page 6
Contributors......Page 7
Table of Contents......Page 9
Part I: Introduction......Page 12
HISTORY......Page 13
EARTHWORM ECOLOGY......Page 14
SOIL FORMATION......Page 15
ORGANIC MATTER BREAKDOWN AND INCORPORATION INTO SOIL......Page 16
EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURE ON EARTHWORMS......Page 17
EARTHWORMS AND SOIL POLLUTION......Page 18
REFERENCES......Page 19
CONTENTS......Page 22
EFFECTS OF EARTHWORM ON PLANTS: THE HISTORY......Page 23
EARTHWORMS AND PLANT PRODUCTION IN THE TROPICS......Page 24
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES OF EARTHWORM ACTION......Page 26
THE SEVEN MAIN MECHANISMS BY WHICH EARTHWORMS AFFECT PLANTS......Page 27
1. DISPERSAL AND CHANGES IN POPULATIONS AND ACTIVITIES OF BENEFICIAL MICROORGANISMS......Page 28
Potential Role of Earthworms in the Reduction of Plant Disease and Pest Problems......Page 32
3. EARTHWORMS AND PLANT GROWTH-REGULATING AND GROWTH-INFLUENCING SUBSTANCES......Page 34
4. ROOT ABRASION AND INGESTION OF LIVING PLANT PARTS BY EARTHWORMS......Page 35
6. CHANGES IN SOIL STRUCTURE CAUSED BY EARTHWORMS......Page 36
Earthworm Casts......Page 37
Earthworm Burrows......Page 39
7. CHANGES IN NUTRIENT SPATIOTEMPORAL AVAILABILITY CAUSED BY EARTHWORMS......Page 40
CRAWLING FORWARD: THE CHALLENGE OF IDENTIFYING AND QUANTIFYING THE POTENTIAL OF EARTHWORMS TO INCREASE PLANT GROWTH......Page 43
“ALL-MINUS-ONE” TESTS AND FIELD TRIALS......Page 44
FUTURE NEEDS IN EARTHWORM RESEARCH......Page 45
REFERENCES......Page 46
Part II: Earthworm Taxonomy, Diversity, and Biogeography......Page 59
CONTENTS......Page 60
PLATE TECTONICS AND EARTHWORM PHYLOGENY......Page 61
APPLICATIONS OF EARTHWORM BIOGEOGRAPHY TO THE EARTH’S HISTORY......Page 63
HOW THE EARTH’S HISTORY AFFECTS EARTHWORM DISTRIBUTIONS......Page 65
REFERENCES......Page 68
INTRODUCTION......Page 70
United States......Page 72
TAXONOMY......Page 74
PRESENTATIONS AT THE INTERNATIONAL EARTHWORM ECOLOGY SYMPOSIA......Page 75
EARTHWORM SURVEYS......Page 76
PLAIN LANGUAGE AND LESS ESOTERY......Page 77
REFERENCES......Page 78
INTRODUCTION......Page 82
CRITERIA OF EXOTIC EARTHWORM......Page 84
CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTHWORMS THAT MAKE THEM INVASIVE......Page 85
MECHANISMS OF EARTHWORM INVASION AND THE DYNAMICS OF INVADING POPULATIONS......Page 86
HOW DO INVASIVE EARTHWORMS INTERACT WITH NATIVE EARTHWORMS?......Page 87
HOW DO INVASIVE EARTHWORMS INTERACT WITH OTHER ORGANISMS?......Page 88
EFFECTS OF EXOTIC EARTHWORMS INVASIONS ON ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES......Page 89
WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT EXOTIC EARTHWORM INVASIONS?......Page 90
REFERENCES......Page 93
Part III: Earthworm Biology, Ecology, Behavior, and Physiology......Page 96
INTRODUCTION......Page 97
CLIMATE......Page 98
SOIL PROPERTIES......Page 99
FOOD......Page 100
COMPETITION......Page 104
PREDATION......Page 105
LAND MANAGEMENT......Page 106
MINING AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES......Page 107
AFFORESTATION......Page 108
ARABLE CROPPING......Page 109
MANURES AND FERTILIZERS......Page 111
SOIL WATER MANAGEMENT......Page 112
CONCLUSIONS......Page 113
REFERENCES......Page 114
CONTENTS......Page 120
TAXONOMY OF THE LUMBRICID GENUS OCTODRILUS......Page 123
VARIABILITY OF CHARACTERS......Page 124
TAXA DISCRIMINATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF OCTODRILUS SPECIES BY NUMERICAL TAXONOMY......Page 125
16S rDNA Sequences......Page 127
COI Gene Sequences......Page 128
Discussion......Page 129
EARTHWORM COMMUNITIES DOMINATED BY OCTODRILUS SPECIES......Page 130
SEASONAL DYNAMICS OF EARTHWORM COMMUNITIES WITH OCTODRILUS FRIVALDSZKYI......Page 132
Methods......Page 133
Seasonal Dynamics of the Earthworm Community......Page 134
THE ROLE OF GIANT OCTODRILUS SPECIES IN BUILDING UP VERMIC (EARTHWORM-BASED) CHARACTERS IN MOUNTAIN SOILS......Page 135
THE EARTHWORM COMMUNITIES......Page 139
MORPHOLOGY AND MICROMORPHOLOGY OF SOIL PROFILES......Page 140
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF VERMIC SOILS......Page 141
Material and Methods......Page 143
EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON EARTHWORMS......Page 144
REFERENCES......Page 145
Part IV: Influence of Earthworms on Soil Organic Matter Dynamics, Nutrient Dynamics, and Microbial Ecology......Page 147
CONTENTS......Page 148
EARTHWORMS AND SOIL FUNCTION: THE DRILOSPHERE CONCEPT......Page 149
SELECTION OF SOIL PARTICLES......Page 151
COMPACTING VS. DECOMPACTING SPECIES......Page 152
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF EARTHWORMS: MODELING AND OBSERVATION OF SUCCESSIONAL PROCESSES......Page 154
MODELING......Page 155
EARTHWORM ACTIVITIES AND SUCCESSIONAL PROCESSES......Page 156
DISCUSSION......Page 158
REFERENCES......Page 160
CONTENTS......Page 164
OVERVIEW......Page 165
MECHANISTIC MODELS......Page 168
ECOSYSTEM BUDGET MODELS......Page 171
FUTURE EXPERIMENTS......Page 173
INDIVIDUAL EARTHWORMS......Page 174
EARTHWORM POPULATIONS......Page 176
EARTHWORMS IN ECOSYSTEMS......Page 177
EARTHWORMS IN LANDSCAPES......Page 178
REFERENCES......Page 179
Part V: Effects of Earthworms on Soil Physical Properties and Function......Page 184
INTRODUCTION......Page 185
INGESTION RATES AND PROPERTIES OF CASTS......Page 186
REMOLDING OF SOIL AGGREGATES BY EARTHWORMS......Page 187
STABILIZATION OF AGGREGATES IN CASTS: PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES......Page 188
ROLE OF ORGANIC MATTER......Page 189
SURFACE CASTING, SOIL EROSION, AND NUTRIENT TRANSPORT......Page 190
EFFECTS OF EARTHWORM BURROWS ON INFILTRATION......Page 192
EFFECTS EARTHWORM BURROWS ON WATER QUALITY......Page 195
REFERENCES......Page 196
SOIL POROSITY CAUSED BY EARTHWORMS......Page 203
DO EARTHWORM BURROWS AFFECT SPECIFIC SOIL FUNCTIONS OR STRUCTURES?......Page 204
SOIL-STRUCTURE–DEPENDENT EFFECTS OF EARTHWORM BURROWS......Page 205
INTERACTIONS OF EARTHWORM BURROWS WITH OTHER SOIL PORES......Page 206
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EARTHWORM BURROWS AND MASS TRANSFER PROCESSES......Page 207
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EARTHWORM BURROWS AND OTHER SOIL BIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS......Page 208
TOPOLOGY AND FUNCTIONAL PROBLEMS IN COMPARING EARTHWORM BURROW PATTERNS......Page 209
MONITORING INTRODUCTIONS OF EARTHWORMS TO NEW SITES......Page 210
REFERENCES......Page 211
Part VI: Interactions of Earthworms with Microorganisms, Invertebrates, and Plants......Page 213
INTRODUCTION......Page 214
ANNUAL ORGANIC INPUTS AND DECOMPOSITION PROCESSES......Page 216
SUCCESSIONS OF MICROORGANISMS DURING THE DECOMPOSITION PROCESS......Page 218
Food Preferences and Dietary Requirements......Page 219
The Fate of Microorganisms in the Intestines of Earthworms......Page 222
Microbiological Composition and Activity in Earthworm Burrows and Casts......Page 223
Successional Processes within Casts......Page 224
MESOSCALE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EARTHWORMS AND MICROORGANISMS......Page 225
MACROSCALE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EARTHWORMS AND MICROORGANISMS......Page 230
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS......Page 231
REFERENCES......Page 232
CONTENTS......Page 241
EFFECTS OF CHANNELING, COMMINUTION, AND MIXING......Page 242
EFFECTS OF EARTHWORM GRAZING, GUT TRANSIT, AND CASTS ON SOIL ORGANISMS......Page 244
ROLES OF THE SOIL BIOTA IN DEVELOPMENT OF FOREST HUMUS FORMS......Page 248
LABORATORY STUDIES OF INTERACTIONS......Page 249
FIELD STUDIES OF INTERACTIONS......Page 250
CHANGES IN SOIL STRUCTURE BY COLONIZING EARTHWORMS......Page 251
Soil Microorganisms......Page 252
Soil Fauna......Page 253
REFERENCES......Page 254
Part VII: Earthworms in Agroecosystems......Page 260
INTRODUCTION......Page 261
THE EARTHWORM FAUNA IN AUSTRALIA......Page 262
EFFECTS OF EARTHWORMS ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND PLANT PRODUCTIVITY IN AUSTRALIA......Page 265
EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON EARTHWORMS......Page 268
INTRODUCTIONS OF EARTHWORM TAXA TO NEW AREAS......Page 273
EARTHWORMS IN PASTURES IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA......Page 275
CONCLUSIONS......Page 276
REFERENCES......Page 277
INTRODUCTION......Page 285
RECENT TRENDS......Page 286
FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS......Page 288
CONCLUSIONS......Page 290
REFERENCES......Page 291
Part VIII: Earthworms and Environmental Pollution......Page 294
INTRODUCTION......Page 295
THE TEST ORGANISMS......Page 296
ACUTE TOXICITY TESTING WITH EARTHWORMS......Page 297
CHRONIC TOXICITY TESTS AND SUBLETHAL EFFECTS......Page 299
EARTHWORM TOXICITY TESTING FOR REGULATORY PURPOSES......Page 300
THE USE OF EARTHWORM BIOMARKERS AND UNDERSTANDING BIOAVAILABILITY......Page 301
EARTHWORMS IN BIOASSAYS, MICROCOSMS, AND MODEL ECOSYSTEMS......Page 304
FIELD TOXICITY TESTS USING EARTHWORMS......Page 305
RESIDUES IN EARTHWORMS AND THEIR ROLE AS BIOMONITORS AND BIOINDICATORS......Page 306
RISK ASSESSMENT USING EARTHWORMS......Page 307
DECISIONS ON MANAGING ESTIMATED RISK OF CHEMICALS TO EARTHWORMS......Page 310
CONCLUSIONS......Page 311
REFERENCES......Page 312
CURRENT INTEREST IN EARTHWORM ECOTOXICOLOGY......Page 317
TOXICOKINETIC BEHAVIOR BY EARTHWORMS (AVAILABILITY, UPTAKE, ELIMINATION, BIOACCUMULATION)......Page 319
TESTING CONTAMINANT TOXICITY WITH EARTHWORMS......Page 323
PESTICIDE AND HEAVY METAL TOXICITY STUDIES......Page 326
LAND IMPROVEMENT AND EARTHWORMS AS BIOENGINEERS......Page 328
EFFECTS OF TOXICANTS AT FOOD CHAIN AND ECOSYSTEM LEVELS......Page 330
RISK ASSESSMENT BASED ON EARTHWORM TOXICOLOGY......Page 332
REFERENCES......Page 333
Part IX: Earthworms in Waste Management......Page 339
CONTENTS......Page 340
INTRODUCTION......Page 341
BREAKDOWN OF SEWAGE WASTES BY EARTHWORMS......Page 342
BREAKDOWN OF ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, AND URBAN INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC WASTES BY EARTHWORMS......Page 344
BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY OF SUITABLE EARTHWORM SPECIES......Page 346
FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS OF DIFFERENT EARTHWORM SPECIES THAT PROCESS ORGANIC WASTES......Page 348
Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg)......Page 349
CHARACTERISTICS OF VERMICOMPOSTS PRODUCED BY EARTHWORMS FROM ORGANIC WASTES......Page 350
GROWTH OF PLANTS IN VERMICOMPOSTS......Page 352
PLANT DISEASES......Page 357
INSECT PESTS......Page 358
PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES......Page 359
PRODUCTION OF EARTHWORMS FOR ANIMAL FEED IN ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, AND INDUSTRIAL WASTES......Page 360
THE VALUE OF WORM PROTEIN AS FEED FOR FISH, POULTRY, AND PIGS......Page 361
ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE PRODUCTION OF EARTHWORM PROTEIN FOR ANIMAL FEED......Page 362
CONTAINERS OR BOX SYSTEMS......Page 363
CONTINUOUS FLOW AUTOMATED VERMICOMPOSTING REACTORS......Page 364
COMMERCIALIZATION AND ECONOMICS OF VERMICOMPOSTING SYSTEMS......Page 365
REFERENCES......Page 366
CONTENTS......Page 375
A SPECTRUM OF RURAL AND URBAN SOLID WASTE GENERATION......Page 377
STATUS OF AGRICULTURE IN KARNATAKA STATE, INDIA......Page 378
EARTHWORMS AS BIODEGRADERS OF ORGANIC WASTE BIOMASS......Page 379
SOLID ORGANIC WASTE UTILIZATION FOR COMPOST PRODUCTION USING EARTHWORMS......Page 380
URBAN SOLID ORGANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT......Page 381
VERMICOMPOSTING OPERATIONS BY AGROINDUSTRIES......Page 382
DEVELOPMENT OF VERMICOMPOSTING TECHNOLOGY IN RURAL AREAS......Page 383
HUMUS PRODUCED BY EARTHWORM ACTIVITY: ORGANIC WASTE TO SOIL......Page 385
THE STATUS OF VERMICULTURE AND VERMICOMPOSTING AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY......Page 387
ADVANTAGES OF VERMICOMPOSTS......Page 389
REFERENCES......Page 390
CONTENTS......Page 394
WHAT IS VERMICOMPOSTING?......Page 395
EARTHWORM LIFE HISTORIES......Page 396
EARTHWORM SPECIES SUITABLE FOR VERMICOMPOSTING......Page 397
Dendrobaena rubida (Savigny, 1826)......Page 398
Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg, 1867)......Page 399
INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON SURVIVAL AND GROWTH OF EARTHWORMS......Page 400
MOISTURE CONTENT......Page 402
AMMONIA......Page 403
ECOLOGY OF VERMICOMPOSTING: A CASE STUDY......Page 404
NITROGEN TRANSFORMATIONS DURING VERMICOMPOSTING......Page 405
VERMICOMPOSTING AND HEAVY METAL AVAILABILITY......Page 406
SOIL FOOD WEBS IN THE VERMICOMPOSTING SYSTEM......Page 407
APPLICATIONS OF VERMICOMPOSTING......Page 409
OPERATION OF THE PROCESS: HOW VERMICOMPOSTING WORKS......Page 410
EFFECTS OF VERMICOMPOSTS ON PLANT GROWTH......Page 411
VERMICOMPOSTS AS SUPPRESSORS OF PLANT DISEASES AND PLANT-PARASITIC NEMATODES......Page 413
REFERENCES......Page 414