Influence of clay content and acidity of soil on development of the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus and its population level consequences

Abstract

In this paper we report on the influence of clay content and acidity of soil on growth and reproduction of the epigeic earthworm species Lumbricus rubellus (Hoffm.), which is common in most temperate soils and abundant in grasslands. Growth, cocoon production and survival of L. rubellus were tested in 12 Dutch soils which differed in soil properties. A matrix model was used to assess the population-level consequences of changes in growth and reproduction. Soil acidity had a strong negative effect on earthworm survival, and the maturation weight decreased with clay content. Individual weight gain in L. rubellus decreased with both acidity and clay content. The acidity of soils had a larger influence on population growth rate than the clay content. The acidity of the soil also changed the population composition towards younger age classes, whereas in soils rich in clay, the population composition did not change. The average individual weight of L. rubellus in clayey soils, however, was lower compared with that in soils low in clay, a result that agrees with literature data.

The effects of worms, clay and biochar on CO<sub>2</sub> emissions during production and soil application of co-composts

“…Since similar worm biomass existed in both treatments, it is clear that high clay contents have had a negative effect on worm activity that interfered with the formation of stable organomineral associations. This hypothesis is supported by the results of Klok et al (2007), who showed that Lumbricus rubellus worms can have their life cycle influenced by a high content of clay in soil, leading to anaerobic conditions and soil compaction. Given that species of the genus Eisenia (fetida and andrei) belong to the epigenic worm species living at the soil surface in leaf litter, they might not be well adapted to process high amounts of minerals.…”

Thresholds of arsenic toxicity to Eisenia fetida in field-collected agricultural soils exposed to copper mining activities in Chile

“…Second, the intrinsic physico-chemical characteristics of the soil-such as pH, salinity, texture and organic matter content-are known to affect metal uptake by earthworms (Ma et al, 1983;Owojori et al, 2008Owojori et al, , 2009aSpurgeon et al, 2006). Finally, distribution of earthworm populations is known to be affected by soil organic matter (Fonte et al, 2009;Jordan et al, 1999;Leroy et al, 2008;Monroy et al, 2011), salinity (Valckx et al, 2009), texture (Holmstrup et al, 2011;Klok et al, 2007), and pH (Klok et al, 2007); however, less attention has been paid on the effects of soil chemical and physical properties on earthworm responses in bioassays.…”

Prediction of clay content from water vapour sorption isotherms considering hysteresis and soil organic matter content

“…From an engineering perspective, clay content influences soil strength, permeability and consolidation (Al‐Shayea, ; Tembe et al , ). Clay content is also linked to soil biological activity, substrate availability and soil respiration (Wang et al , ; Klok et al , ).…”