Effects of the earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus on banana plants infected or not with the plant-parasitic nematode Radopholus similis

Harmful or useful? A case study of the exotic peregrine earthworm morphospecies Pontoscolex corethrurus

“…Numbers show the countries where more than 10 studies were carried out on P. corethrurus. Four types of sources were used for this map and are presented in different colors: (i) in green, the locality specified in the Drilobase web site (http://taxo.drilobase.org/), (ii) in red, localities found in Gates (1972) but not mentioned in the Drilobase, (iii) in purple, four localities (China, Reunion and Guadeloupe islands, and Nigeria) found in the literature (China: (Hua et al, 2008;Huang et al, 2015;Paz-Ferreiro et al, 2015Zhang et al, 2010), Reunion: (Boyer et al, 2013), Guadeloupe: (Lafont et al, 2007;Loranger-Merciris et al, 2012;Sierra et al, 2014), and Nigeria (Henrot and Brussaard, 1997;Mba, 1994): and (iv) in blue, three islands (St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent) where P. corethrurus was sampled (S. James pers. com.)…”

“…In addition to its effects on C dynamics, P. corethrurus is known to enhance N mineralization and availability (Araujo et al, 2004;Lafont et al, 2007;TapiaCoral et al, 2006). For instance, showed that mineral N concentrations ranged from 133.1 to 167.8 μg N per gram dry soil in fresh casts of this morphospecies fed on an Amazonian Ultisol.…”

“…Earthworms can have either a direct (e.g., by ingestion) or an indirect (i.e., by physical and chemical changes of soil properties) impact on plant-feeding nematodes (Blouin et al, 2005;Lafont et al, 2007;Senapati, 1992;Wurst, 2010). Under laboratory conditions, Boyer et al (2013) revealed a decrease in Heterodera sacchari and Pratylenchus zeae populations, two plant parasitic nematodes, in the presence of P. corethrurus.…”

Earthworms influence the production of above- and belowground biomass and the expression of genes involved in cell proliferation and stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana

“…Their mechanisms of action include changes in soil structure that affect root growth and water balance . Earthworms allow plants to better resist parasitic nematode attacks, either by decreasing nematode population density (Yeates, 1981;Senapati, 1992), by enhancing the capacity of plants to tolerate these parasites (Blouin et al, 2005;Lafont et al, 2007) or by stimulating microbes that are antagonistic to root pathogens (Clapperton et al, 2001). Mostly, earthworms are known to induce changes in nutrient spatiotemporal availability through fragmentation and burying of soil litter (Brown et al, 2000) and microbe-based mineralization of soil organic matter (Postma-Blaauw et al, 2006).…”

Current distribution of the invasive earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) after a century of its first report from Kerala state, India

“…Authors have reported that P. corethrurus has the ability to enhance nutrient release in soil (Lavelle et al 1987, Lopez-Hernandez et al 1993, Chapuis-Lardy et al 1998, promoting plant growth and tolerance to phyto-parasitic nematodes (Pashanasi et al 1996, Lafont et al 2007). It has also been recorded that when this species is established in an area it can affect soil physical properties (soil compaction) (Hallaire et al 2000, Chauvel et al 1999, modify biogeochemical processes (Gonzales & Zou, 1999, Barros et al 2001, Liu & Zou 2002, and affect plant (Zou 1993) …”