Earthworm distributions are not driven by measurable soil properties. Do they really indicate soil quality?

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dc.contributor.authorHodson, Mark E.
dc.contributor.authorCorstanje, Ron
dc.contributor.authorJones, David T.
dc.contributor.authorWitton, Jo
dc.contributor.authorBurton, Victoria J.
dc.contributor.authorSloan, Tom
dc.contributor.authorEggleton, Paul
dc.date.accessioned2021-09-23T16:18:08Z
dc.date.available2021-09-23T16:18:08Z
dc.date.issued2021-08-30
dc.description.abstractAbundance and distribution of earthworms in agricultural fields is frequently proposed as a measure of soil quality assuming that observed patterns of abundance are in response to improved or degraded environmental conditions. However, it is not clear that earthworm abundances can be directly related to their edaphic environment, as noted in Darwin’s final publication, perhaps limiting or restricting their value as indicators of ecological quality in any given field. We present results from a spatially explicit intensive survey of pastures within United Kingdom farms, looking for the main drivers of earthworm density at a range of scales. When describing spatial variability of both total and ecotype-specific earthworm abundance within any given field, the best predictor was earthworm abundance itself within 20–30 m of the sampling point; there were no consistent environmental correlates with earthworm numbers, suggesting that biological factors (e.g. colonisation rate, competition, predation, parasitism) drive or at least significantly modify earthworm distributions at this spatial level. However, at the national scale, earthworm abundance is well predicted by soil nitrate levels, density, temperature and moisture content, albeit not in a simple linear fashion. This suggests that although land can be managed at the farm scale to promote earthworm abundance and the resulting soil processes that deliver ecosystem services, within a field, earthworm distributions will remain patchy. The use of earthworms as soil quality indicators must therefore be carried out with care, ensuring that sufficient samples are taken within field to take account of variability in earthworm populations that is unrelated to soil chemical and physical properties.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationHodson ME, Corstanje R, Jones DT, et al., (2021) Earthworm distributions are not driven by measurable soil properties. Do they really indicate soil quality? PLoS ONE, Volume 16, Issue 8, August 2021, Article number e0241945en_UK
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0241945
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/17102
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherPLOSen_UK
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.titleEarthworm distributions are not driven by measurable soil properties. Do they really indicate soil quality?en_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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