Temperature and soil moisture content effects on the growth of Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) under laboratory conditions

Berry, E. C.; Jordan, D.

doi:10.1016/s0038-0717(00)00112-7

Cited by 75 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Such increased burrowing activity could be due to a facilitative effect of intense rainfall (i.e., conditions were favourable for digging), or on the contrary it could indicate that the earthworms were stressed by the disturbance and tried to escape or improve their habitat conditions. Regarding L. terrestris survival and growth, it has been shown that high soil moisture may be favourable (Berry and Jordan 2001), while prolonged flooding is detrimental (Fournier et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anecic earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) alleviate negative effects of extreme rainfall events on soil and plants in field mesocosms

et al. 2015

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Background and aims Intense rains are becoming more frequent. By causing waterlogging, they may increase soil erosion and soil surface compaction, hamper seedling establishment, and reduce plant growth. Since anecic earthworms make vertical burrows that improve water infiltration, we hypothesised that they can counteract such disturbance. Methods In a field experiment, intact soil mesocosms with ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), with or without introduced adult Lumbricus terrestris, underwent either a precipitation regime with two intense rain events (36 mm, at beginning and end of spring), or a control regime with the same cumulative rainfall but no intense events. Short-term response of soil moisture and lagged response of plant growth were measured, and soil macroporosity was quantified. Results Intense rains reduced ryegrass shoot biomass (by 16-21 % on average) only in the absence of earthworms. Waterlogging duration aboveground was not affected, whereas soil moisture contents after intense rainfall tended to drop faster with earthworms present. Continuous vertical macropores were found only in the mesocosms to which earthworms had been added. The number of such macropores was 2.4 times higher under the intense precipitation regime, despite similar earthworm survival. Conclusions We found that anecic earthworms can offset negative effects of intense rainfall on plant growth aboveground. Underlying mechanisms, such as macropore formation and enhanced nutrient cycling, are discussed. We also observed that altered precipitation patterns can modify earthworm burrowing behaviour, as earthworms had produced more burrows under the intense regime.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anecic earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) alleviate negative effects of extreme rainfall events on soil and plants in field mesocosms

et al. 2015

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“…Hatchlings were raised from cocoons deposited by adults bred in the laboratory colony. All worms were housed in plastic bins filled with moist topsoil (composed of organic humus and peat moss) at 17°C (Berry and Jordan, 2001) and fed dried infant oatmeal (Burch et al, 1999).…”

Section: Materials and Methods Lumbricus Terrestris Collection And Mamentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaling of the hydrostatic skeleton in the earthwormLumbricus terrestris

Kurth

Kier

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The structural and functional consequences of changes in size or scale have been well studied in animals with rigid skeletons, but relatively little is known about scale effects in animals with hydrostatic skeletons. We used glycol methacrylate histology and microscopy to examine the scaling of mechanically important morphological features of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris over an ontogenetic size range from 0.03 to 12.89 g. We found that L. terrestris becomes disproportionately longer and thinner as it grows. This increase in the length to diameter ratio with size means that, when normalized for mass, adult worms gain ~117% mechanical advantage during radial expansion, compared with hatchling worms. We also found that the cross-sectional area of the longitudinal musculature scales as body mass to the ~0.6 power across segments, which is significantly lower than the 0.66 power predicted by isometry. The cross-sectional area of the circular musculature, however, scales as body mass to thẽ 0.8 power across segments, which is significantly higher than predicted by isometry. By modeling the interaction of muscle crosssectional area and mechanical advantage, we calculate that the force output generated during both circular and longitudinal muscle contraction scales near isometry. We hypothesize that the allometric scaling of earthworms may reflect changes in soil properties and burrowing mechanics with size. KEY WORDS: Scaling, Allometry, Ontogeny, Annelid, Burrowing INTRODUCTIONBody size plays a pivotal role in the structure and function of all organisms. Size affects how an organism interacts with its environment as well as the processes needed for survival (Vogel, 1988). Size also imposes physical constraints on organisms, with fundamental effects on organismal design (Schmidt-Nielsen, 1997). A range of important traits change as a function of body size, including: geometry, metabolic rate, kinematics, mechanics and even lifespan. As a consequence, almost every facet of an organism's life may be influenced by its size, including its physiology, morphology, ecology and biomechanics (Schmidt-Nielsen, 1984;Quillin, 1999;Vogel, 2013;Biewener, 2005;Hill et al., 2012). Scaling, the changes in form and function due body size, has been studied primarily in the vertebrates and in some arthropods (e.g. Schmidt-Nielsen, 1997;Biewener, 2005;Nudds, 2007;Chi and Roth, 2010). The effects of scaling on soft-bodied animals have, however, received relatively little attention. The aim of this study was to use histological and microscopic techniques to examine the effects of size and scale on components of the hydrostatic skeleton of an iconic soft-bodied animal, the earthworm.

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“…Earthworm populations are strongly affected by both temperature and soil moisture (Pelosi et al 2008). Laboratory manipulations have shown that the growth and survival of individuals is positively related to soil moisture, whereas temperature effects vary between species (Lance Presley et al 1996, Whalen & Parmelee 1999, Berry & Jordon 2001, Wever et al 2001). In the field, significant mortality may occur during periods of high temperatures and summer drought (Gerard 1967, Phillipson et al 1976, with earthworm abundance positively correlated with soil moisture on farmland (Sheldon et al 2002).…”

Section: Sensitivity Of Prey Taxa To Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Using diet to assess the sensitivity of northern and upland birds to climate change

Pearce‐Higgins¹

2010

Clim. Res.

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High-latitude species are predicted to be vulnerable to climate change, particularly in the UK uplands, where many are at the margins of their southern range. There is increasing evidence that climate change may have an impact on populations through reductions in prey abundance. The diet of 17 insectivorous UK upland birds, and the sensitivity of their prey to likely climate change, were quantified from the literature and combined to produce an index of climate-change sensitivity for upland birds. Coleoptera and Diptera were the 2 most important prey taxa, with Tipulidae the most widely ingested prey family. Lepidoptera, Lumbricidae and Hymenoptera also comprised > 20% of the diet of at least one upland bird species. Of these prey taxa, existing studies suggest that Tipulidae, Chironomidae and Lumbridicae may be particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures and increased frequency of drought projected to result from climate change. Therefore, the contribution of these 3 taxa to the diets of upland birds provides an index of climate-change sensitivity, which was correlated with an index of recent upland bird population trends. Future increases in temperature and drought frequency are expected to have an impact on populations of a range of upland bird species through reductions in prey availability, although further studies are required to test this hypothesis. Many upland areas have been artificially drained using ditches. Blocking these ditches may therefore provide a potential management option for climate-change adaptation in the UK uplands.

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Temperature and soil moisture content effects on the growth of Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) under laboratory conditions

Cited by 75 publications

References 11 publications

Anecic earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) alleviate negative effects of extreme rainfall events on soil and plants in field mesocosms

Anecic earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) alleviate negative effects of extreme rainfall events on soil and plants in field mesocosms

Scaling of the hydrostatic skeleton in the earthwormLumbricus terrestris

Using diet to assess the sensitivity of northern and upland birds to climate change

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