To meet the challenge of feeding a growing world population with minimal environmental impact, we need comprehensive and quantitative knowledge of ecological factors affecting crop production. Earthworms are among the most important soil dwelling invertebrates. Their activity affects both biotic and abiotic soil properties, in turn affecting plant growth. Yet, studies on the effect of earthworm...

The effect of inorganic fertilizer (NPK) on earthworm population was studied for two years (20022004) under different plantations at Sakawrtuichhun (SKT) and Pachhunga University College (PUC) agroforestry sites in Mizoram, north-eastern state of India. Five species of earthworms, viz. Drawida sp., Metaphire houletti (Perrier), Perionyx excavatus (Perrier), Perionyx macintoshi (Stephenson) and ...

Metallothioneins belong to a group of intracellular, high molecular andcysteine-rich proteins whose content in an organism increase with increasing concentrationof a heavy metal. The aim of this work was to apply the electrochemical analysis for theanalysis of metallothioneins in earthworms exposed to cadmium ions and brewery sludge.Here we utilized adsorptive transfer technique coupled with di...

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...

The invasion of exotic earthworms in previously earthworm-free areas eliminates the forest litter layer, alters the carbon and nitrogen cycles and reduces native plant cover. Humans are the principal agents of invasive earthworm dispersal, spreading worms both inadvertently through the horticulture industry, logging and road travel, and voluntarily through composting and the disposal of earthwo...

The bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for earthworms (Eisenia andrei) was experimentally determined in seven field-polluted soils and 15 soil-sediment mixtures. The pore-water concentration of most PAHs was higher than predicted. However, most of the compound was associated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and not directly available for uptake by earthworms. The appa...

BACKGROUND For generations many families in and around Florida's Apalachicola National Forest have supported themselves by collecting the large endemic earthworms (Diplocardia mississippiensis). This is accomplished by vibrating a wooden stake driven into the soil, a practice called "worm grunting". In response to the vibrations, worms emerge to the surface where thousands can be gathered in a ...

Three biomarkers in Aporrectodea caliginosa Savigny were evaluated for their ability to detect exposure to organophosphorus insecticides, and these physiological responses were related to effects on growth and life-table parameters. Adult and juvenile earthworms were exposed to a laboratory-simulated field rate (low concentration) and a higher sublethal concentration of diazinon and chlorpyrifo...

Earthworms are soil invertebrates that play a key role in recycling organic matter in soils. In Nigeria, earthworms include Libyodrillus violaceous. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts, as well as fungal counts of viable microorganisms in soils and gut sections, were made on twenty L. violaceous collected from different sites on the campus of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria....

Earthworms are key components of temperate soil ecosystems but key aspects of their ecology remain unexamined. Here we elucidate the role of olfactory cues in earthworm attraction to food sources and document specific chemical cues that attract Eisenia fetida to the soil fungi Geotrichum candidum. Fungi and other microorganisms are major sources of volatile emissions in soil ecosystems as well ...