Studying Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) in South Africa

Abstract

BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Soil biota in a megadiverse country: Current knowledge and future research directions in South Africa

“…A standard methodology has recently been proposed for sampling earthworms in South Africa (Nxele et al, 2015). Quantitative collections of earthworms are made by digging out 50 cm  50 cm plots with a depth of 20 cm.…”

“…Formalin fixed tissues are not suitable for DNA based analyses, and so duplicates should be collected and placed into 100% ethanol. In the case of very large specimens, small portions of tissue can be preserved (see Nxele et al, 2015 for a detailed sampling protocol). There are no current books or field guides for the identification of South African earthworms.…”

“…There are no current books or field guides for the identification of South African earthworms. Currently, identification of indigenous species is based mainly on the original descriptions or available limited keys (see Nxele et al, 2015;Plisko and Nxele, 2015). Recently, Nxele et al (2015) also produced a list of key priorities for work on megadrile earthworms in South Africa.…”

“…Currently, identification of indigenous species is based mainly on the original descriptions or available limited keys (see Nxele et al, 2015;Plisko and Nxele, 2015). Recently, Nxele et al (2015) also produced a list of key priorities for work on megadrile earthworms in South Africa. This included the compilation of an atlas and Red Data list, development of a field guide, mapping and modelling species distributions, engendering public interest through outreach, developing a DNA barcode reference library, assessing the risks of future introductions to and around South Africa, determining the status and invasive potential of introduced species, assessing the value of ecosystem services provided by earthworms under South African conditions, and the potential of species as bio-indicators of soil health.…”

“…Well-developed keys and resources exist for some groups, e.g. arachnids, gastropods, and dung beetles (Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2014;Herbert and Kilburn, 2004;Scholtz et al, 2008), and there is current research focussing on certain mite groups (Ermilov and Hugo-Coetzee, 2012), earthworms (Plisko, 2010;Nxele et al, 2015;Plisko and Nxele, 2015), nematodes (Borgonie et al, 2011), soil-borne fungal pathogens (Crous et al, 2000), microbial communities (Visagie et al, 2014(Visagie et al, , 2015aSlabbert et al, 2014;Postma et al, 2016) and mycorrhizal fungi (Turnau and Mesjasz-Przybylowicz, 2003). However, in general, whenever soil is sampled, new species are discovered (see Janion et al, 2011;Mager and Hui, 2012).…”