Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Role of Earthworm in Improving Soil Structure and Functioning


Affiliations
1 Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India
2 Division of Agricultural Physics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India
 

Earthworms commonly occur within the soil. They alter physico-chemical and biological regimes of the soil through their activities, such as burrowing, casting, feeding and propagating, and therefore are known as 'ecosystem engineers'. Through their activities, they provide a number of ecosystem services which are ecologically and socio-economically important. This article reviews the role of earthworms in improving soil structural and functional properties, which serves as key determinants of soil ecosystem services and economic benefits for the farmers. A methodology of economic evaluation of the agro-ecosystem services provided by earthworms has been demonstrated. Further, the information gaps and future research have been discussed for ensuring sustainable agroecosystems management.

Keywords

Earthworm, Economic Evaluation, Soil Ecosystem Services, Soil Aggregation, Sustainable Agriculture.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • MA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment), Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis, Island Press, Washington DC, 2005.

  • Costanza, R. et al., The value of world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 1997, 387, 253–260.

  • Lyons, K. G., Brigham, C. A., Traut, B. H. and Schwartz, M. W., Rare species and ecosystem functioning. Conserv. Biol., 2005, 19(4), 1019–1024.

  • Hale, C. M., Frelich, L. E., Reich, P. B. and Pastor, J., Effects of European earthworm invasion on soil characteristics in northern hardwood forest of Minnesota, USA. Ecosystem, 2008, 8, 911– 927.

  • Jones, C. G., Lawton, J. H. and Shachak, M., Organisms as ecosystem engineers. Oikos, 1994, 69, 373–386.

  • Wright, J. P. and Jones, C. G., The concept of organisms as ecosystem engineers ten years on: progress, limitations and challenges. BioSci., 2006, 56, 203–209.

  • Byers, J. E. et al., Using ecosystem engineers to restore ecological systems. Trends Ecol. Evol., 2006, 21, 493–500.

  • Lee, K. E., Earthworms their Ecology and Relationships with Soils and Land Use, Academic Press, Sydney, 1985.

  • van Groenigen, J. W., Lubbers, I. M., Vos, H. M. J., Brown, G. G., De Deyn, G. B. and van Groenigen, K. J., Earthworms increase plant production: a meta-analysis, 2014; doi:10.1038/srep06365.

  • Milleret, R., Le Bayon, R. C. and Gobat, J. M., Root, mycorrhiza and earthworm interactions: their effects on soil structuring processes, plant and soil nutrient concentration and plant biomass. Plant Soil, 2009, 316, 1–12.

  • Martin, A. and Marinissen, J. C. Y., Biological and physicochemical processes in excrements of soil animals. Geoderma, 1993, 56, 331–347.

  • Lavelle, P. et al., Effects of earthworms on soil organic matter and nutrient dynamics at a landscape scale over decades. In Earthworm Ecology (ed. Edwards, C. A.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2004.

  • Alegre, J., Pashanasi, B. and Lavelle, P., Dynamics of soil physical properties in Amazonian agroecosystems inoculated with earthworms. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 1996, 60, 1522–1529.

  • Blanchart, E. et al., Effects of earthworms on soil structure and physical properties. In: Earthworm Management in Tropical Agroecosystems (eds Lavelle, P., Brussaard, L. and Hendrix, P.), CAB International, Wallingford, 1999, pp. 149–172.

  • Blanchart, E., Lavelle, P., Braudeau, E., Le Bissonnais, Y. and Valentin, C., Regulation of soil structure by geophagous earthworm activities in humid savannas of Côte d’Ivoire. Soil Biol. Biochem., 1997, 29, 431–439.

  • Gilot, C., Effects of a tropical geophageous earthworm, Millsonia anomala (Megascolecidae), on soil characteristics and production of a yam crop in Ivory Coast. Soil Biol. Biochem., 1997, 29, 353– 359.

  • Gilot-Villenave, C., Lavelle, P. and Ganry, F., Effects of a tropical geophagous earthworm, Millsonia anomala, on some soil characteristics, on maize-residue decomposition and on maize production in Ivory Coast. Appl. Soil Ecol., 1996, 4, 201–211.

  • Pietz, R. I., Peterson, J. R., Prater, J. E. and Zenz, D. R., Metal concentrations in earthworms from sewage sludge-amended soils at a strip mine reclamation site. J. Envionon. Qual., 1984, 13(4), 651–654.

  • Zangerle, A., Pando, A. and Lavelle, P., Do earthworms and ischolar_mains cooperate to build soil macroaggregates? A microcosm experiment. Geoderma, 2011, 167–168, 303–309.

  • Bottinelli, N., Henry-des-Tureaux, T., Hallaire, V., Mathieu, J., Benard, Y., Duc Tran, T. and Jouquet, P., Earthworms accelerate soil porosity turnover under watering conditions. Geoderma, 2010, 156, 43–47.

  • Bastardie, F., Capowiez, Y., de Dreuzy, J.-R. and Cluzeau, D., X-ray tomographic and hydraulic characterization of burrowing by three earthworm species in repacked soil cores. Appl. Soil Ecol., 2003, 24, 3–16.

  • Edwards, W. M., Shipitalo, M. J., Owens, L. B. and Norton, L. D., Effect of Lumbricus terrestris L. burrows on hydrology of continuous no-till corn fields. Geoderma, 1990, 46, 73–84.

  • Ernst, G., Felten, D., Vohland, M. and Emmerling, C., Impact of ecologically different earthworm species on soil water characteristics. Eur. J. Soil Biol., 2009, 45, 207–213.

  • Fischer, C. et al., How do earthworms, soil texture and plant composition affect infiltration along an experimental plant diversity gradient in grassland? PLoS ONE, 2014, 9(6): e98987.

  • Amosse, J., Turberg, P., Kohler-Milleret, R., Gobat, J.-M. and Le Bayon, R.-C., Effects of endogeic earthworms on the soil organic matter dynamics and the soil structure in urban and alluvial soil materials. Geoderma, 2015, 243–244, 55–57.

  • Haynes, R. J. and Fraser, P. M., A comparison of aggregate stability and biological activity in earthworm casts and uningested soil as affected by amendment with wheat or lucerne straw. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 1998, 49, 629–636.

  • Tianxiang, L., Huixin, L., Tong, W. and Feng, H., Influence of nematodes and earthworms on the emissions of soil trace gases (CO2, N2O). Acta Ecol. Sin., 2008, 28, 993–999.

  • Leon, Y. S., Lugo-Perez, J., Wise, D. H., Jastrow, J. D. and GozalezMeler, M. A., Aggregate formation and carbon sequestration by earthworms in soil from a temperate forest exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2: A microcosm experiment. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2014, 68, 223–230.

  • Shuster, W. D., Subler, S. and McCoy, E. L., Deep burrowing earthworm additions changed the distribution of soil organic carbon in a chisel-tilled soil. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2001, 33, 983– 996.

  • Lubbers, I. M., van Groenigen, K. J., Fonte, S. J., Six, J., Brussaard, L. and van Groenigen, J. W., Greenhouse-gas emissions from soils increased by earthworms. Nature Clim. Change, 2013, 3, 187–194.

  • Riley, H., Pommeresche, R., Eltun, R., Hansen, S. and Korsaeth, A., Soil structure, organic matter and earthworm activity in a comparison of cropping systems with contrasting tillage, rotations, fertilizer levels and manure use. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ., 2008, 124, 275–284.

  • Fonte, S. J. and Six, J., Earthworms and litter management contributions to ecosystem services in a tropical agroforestry system. Ecol. Appl., 2010, 20(4), 1061–1073.

  • Blouin, M. et al., A review of earthworm impact on soil function and ecosystem services. Eur. J. Soil Sci., 2013, 64(2), 161–182.

  • Parmelee, R. W. and Crossley Jr, D. A., Earthworm production and role in the nitrogen cycle of a no-tillage agroecosystem on the Georgia piedmont. Pedobiologia, 1988, 32, 353–361.

  • Rosswall, T. and Paustian, K., Cycling of nitrogen in modern agricultural systems. Plant Soil, 1984, 76, 3–21.

  • Whalen, J. K., Parmelee, R. W. and Subler, S., Quantification of nitrogen excretion rates for three lumbricid earthworms using 15N. Biol. Fertil. Soils, 2000, 32, 347–352.

  • Barois, I., Lavelle, P. and Kajondo, J. K., Adaptive strategies and short term effects of selected earthworm species, selection of particles. In Conservation of Soil Fertility in Low-Input Agricultural Systems of the Humid Tropics by Manipulating Earthworm Communities (ed. Lavelle, P.), IRD, Bondy, France, 1992, Report of the CCE Project No.TS2.0292-F(EDB), pp. 35–67.

  • Bhadauria, T. and Saxena, K. P., Role of earthworms in soil fertility maintenance through the production of biogenic structures. Appl. Environ. Soil Sci., 2010, p. 7; doi:10.1155/2010/816073.

  • Brown, G. G. et al., Effects of earthworms on plant production in the tropics. In Earthworm Management in Tropical Agro Ecosystems (eds Lavelle, P., Brussaard, L. and Hendrix, P.), CABI Publishing, Wallinford, UK, 1999, pp. 87–147.

  • Fonte, S. J., Kong, A. Y. Y., van Kessel, C., Hendrix, P. F. and Six, J., Influence of earthworm activity on aggregate-associated carbon and nitrogen dynamics differs with agroecosystem management. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2007, 39, 1014–1022.

  • Sharpley, A. N. and Syers, J. K., Potential role of earthworm casts for the phosphorus enrichment of run-off waters. Soil. Biol. Biochem., 1976, 8, 341–346.

  • Stefan S., Effects of earthworms on plant growth: patterns and perspectives. The 7th International Symposium on Earthworm Ecology, Cardiff, Wales, Submitted 6 September 2002.

  • Mayilswami, S. and Reid, B., Effect of earthworms on nutrients dynamics in soil and growth of crop. Res. J. Chem. Environ., 2010, 14(2), 39–44.

  • Blair, J. M., Parmelee, R. W. and Lavelle, P., Influences of earthworms on biogeochemistry. In Earthworm Ecology and Biogeography in North America (ed. Hendrix, P. F.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1995, pp. 127–158.

  • Le-Bayon, R. C. and Binet, F., Earthworms change the distribution and availability of phosphorus in organic substrates. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2006, 38, 235–246.

  • Vos, H. M. J., Ros, M. B. H., Koopmans, G. F. and van Groenigen, J. W., Do earthworms affect phosphorus availability to grass? A pot experiment. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2014, 79, 34–42.

  • Domínguez, J., Parmelee, R. W. and Edwards, C. A., Interactions between Eisenia andrei (Oligochaeta) and nematode populations during vermicomposting. Pedobiologia, 2003, 47, 53–60.

  • Pokarzhevskii, A. D., Zaboev, D. P., Gordienko, S. A. and Ganin, G. N., Are earthworms ecosystemivorous? Soil Biol. Biochem., 1997, 29, 559–567.

  • Dash, M. C., Senapati, B. K. and Mishra, C. C., Nematode feeding by tropical earthworms. Oikos, 1980, 34, 322–325.

  • Satchell, J. E., Lumbricidae. In Soil Biology (eds Burges, A. and Raw, F.), Academic Press, New York, NY, 1967, pp. 259–322.

  • Devliegher, W. and Verstraete, W., Microorganisms and soil physicchemical conditions in the drilosphere of Lumbricus terrestris. Soil Biol. Biochem., 1997, 29, 1721–1729.

  • Ireland, M. P., Heavy metals uptake in earthworms; earthworm ecology. Chapman & Hall, London, 1983.

  • Sinha, R. K., Bharambe, G. and Chaudhari, U., Sewage treatment by vermin-filtration with synchronous treatment of sludge by earthworms: a low cost sustainable technology over conventional systems with potential for decentralization. Environmentalist, 2008, 28, 409–420.

  • Hartenstein, R., Neuhauser, E. F. and Collier, J., Accumulation of heavy metals in the earthworm E. foetida. J. Environ. Qual., 1980, 9, 23–26.

  • Contreras-Ramos, S. M., Escamilla-Silva, E. M. and Dendooven, L., Vermicomposting of biosolids with cow manure and oat straw. Biol. Fertil. Soils, 2005, 41, 190–198.

  • Derouard, L., Tondoh, J., Vilcosqui, L. and Lavelle, P., Effects of earthworm introduction on soil processes and plant growth. Soil Biol. Biochem., 1997, 29(3/4), 541–545.

  • Boyd, J. and Wainger, L., Measuring Ecosystem Service Benefits: The Use of Landscape Analysis to Evaluate Environmental Trades and Compensation, Discussion. Paper 02-63, Resources for the Future, Washington DC, 2003.

  • Landell-Mills, N. and Porras, I., Silver Bullet or Fools’ Gold? International Institute for Environment and Development, London, 2002.

  • Wunder, S., Payments for Environmental Services: Some Nuts and Bolts. CIFOR Occasional Paper No. 42, Center for International Forestry Research, Jakarta, 2005.

  • Sandhu, H. S., Wratten, S. D., Cullen, R. and Case, B., The future of farming: the value of ecosystem services in conventional and organic arable land. An experimental approach. Ecol. Econ., 2008, 64, 835–848.

  • Fraser, P. M., Williams, P. H. and Haynes, R. J., Earthworm species, population size and biomass under different cropping systems across the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand. Appl. Soil Ecol., 1996, 3, 49–57.

  • Pimentel, D. et al., Environmental and economic costs of soil erosion and conservation benefits. Science, 1995, 267(5201), 1117– 1123.

  • Boag, B. and Neilso, R., Impact of New Zealand flatworm on agriculture and wildlife in Scotland. Proc. Crop Prot. Northern Br., 2006, pp. 51–55.

  • Keith, A. M. and Robinson, D. A., Earthworms as natural capital: ecosystem service providers in agricultural soils. Economology J., 2012, 2, 91–99.

  • Speratti, A. B. and Whalen, J. K., Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide fluxes from soil as influenced by anecic and endogeic earthworms. Appl. Soil Ecol., 2008, 38, 27–33.

  • Speratti, A., Whalen, J. and Rochette, P., Earthworm influence on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide fluxes from an unfertilized corn agroecosystem. Biol. Fert. Soils, 2007, 44, 405–409.

  • Contreras-Ramos, S. M., Alvarez-Bernal, D., Montes-Molina, J. A., van Cleemput, O. and Dendooven, L., Emission of nitrous oxide from hydrocarbon contaminated soil amended with waste water sludge and earthworms. Appl. Soil Ecol., 2009, 41, 69–76.

  • Rizhiya, E., Bertora, C., van Vilet, P. C. J., Kuikman, P. J., Faber, J. H. and van Groenigen, J. W., Earthworm activity as a determinant for N2O emission from crop residue. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2007, 39, 2058–2069.

  • Giannopoulos, G., Pulleman, M. M. and van Groenigen, J. W., Interactions between residue placement and earthworm ecological strategy affect aggregate turnover and N2O dynamics in agricultural soil. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2010, 42, 618–625.

  • Bertora, C., van Vliet, P. C. J., Hummelink, E. W. J. and van Groenigen, J. W., Do earthworms increase N2O emissions in ploughed grassland? Soil Biol. Biochem., 2007, 39, 632–640.

  • Chapuis-Lardy, L. et al., Effect of the endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus on the microbial structure and activity related to CO2 and N2O fluxes from a tropical soil (Madagascar). Appl. Soil Ecol., 2010, 45, 201–208.

  • Chan, Y. C., Sinha, R. K. and Wang, W., Emission of greenhouse gases from home aerobic composting, anaerobic digestion and vermicomposting of household wastes in Brisbane (Australia). Waste Manage. Res., 2011, 29(5), 540–548.

  • More, B. C. and Patole, S. S., Bioaccumulaion of heavy metals through earthworms from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassifes Solm) contaminated vermicompost. J. Environ. Res. Develop., 2012, 7(2A), 1047–1050.

  • Zhen-zhong, W., You-mei, Z., Yong-can, G., Wei-sheng, X. and Zhong-wu, L., Monitoring of soil heavy metals by earthworm. J. Environ. Sci., 1998, 10(4), 437–444.

  • Dai, J., Becquer, T., Rouiller, J. H., Reversat, G., BernhardReversat, F., Nahmani, J. and Lavelle, P., Heavy metal accumulation by two earthworm species and its relationship to total and DTPA-extractable metals in soils. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2004, 36, 91–98.

  • Lukkari, T., Aatsinki, M., Väisänen, A. and Haimi, J., Toxicity of copper and zinc assessed with three different earthworm tests. Appl. Soil. Ecol., 2005, 30, 133–146.

  • Munnoli, P. M. and Bhosle, S., Water-holding capacity of earthworms’ vermicompost made of sugar industry waste (press mud) in mono- and polyculture vermireactors. Environmentalist, 2011, 31(4), 394–400.

  • Kruapukdee, A. W., Iwai, C. B. and Ta-Oun, M., The influence of earthworm and rice stubble on soil aggregate, carbon sequestration and soil fertility in sandy loam paddy soil in Northeast Thailand. 4th ICERD-International Conference on Environmental and Rural Development, 2013.

  • Lavelle, P. et al., Large-scale effects of earthworms on soil organic matter and nutrient dynamics. In Earthworm Ecology (eds Edwards, C. A), St. Lucie Press, 2010, pp. 103–122.

  • Castellanos-Navarrete, A., Rodriguez-Aragones, C., de Goede, R. G. M., Kooistra, M. J., Sayre, K. D., Brussaard, L. and Pulleman, M. M., Earthworm activity and soil structural changes under conservation agriculture in central Mexico. Soil Tillage Res., 2012, 123, 61–70.

  • Francis, G. S. and Fraser, P. M., The effects of three earthworm species on soil macroporosity and hydraulic conductivity. Appl. Soil Ecol., 1998, 10(1–2), 11–19.

  • Zhang, B., Liu, Y., Li, C., Hu, F. and Velde, B., Long-term fertilization influences on clay mineral composition and ammonium adsorption in a rice paddy soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 2010, 74, 1239–1247.

  • Wironen, M. and Moore, T. R., Exotic earthworm invasion increases soil carbon and nitrogen in an old-growth forest in southern Quebec. Can. J. For. Res., 2006, 36, 845–854.

  • Avizinis, E. J., The indirect effect of earthworms on methane flux in two temperate pasture soils. Master’s thesis, University of Rhode Island, 2012.

  • McColl, H. P., Hart, P. B. S. and Cook, F. J., Influence of earthworms on some soil chemical and physical properties, and the growth of ryegrass on a soil after topsoil stripping-a pot experiment. New Zeal. J. Agric. Res., 2012, 25(2), 239–243.

  • Zhang, B. G., Li, G. T., Shen, T. S., Wang, J. K. and Sun, Z., Changes in microbial biomass C, N and P and enzyme activities in soil incubated with the earthworms Metaphire guillelmi or Eisenia fetida. Soil Biol. Biochem., 2000, 32, 2055–2062.

  • Devi, S. H., Vijayalakshmi, K., Jyotsna, K. P., Shaheen, S. K., Jyothi, K. and Rani, M. S., Comparative assessment in enzyme activities and microbial populations during normal and vermicomposting. J. Environ. Biol., 2009, 30(6), 1013–1017.

  • Aira, M., Monroy, F. and Domínguez, J., Effects of two species of earthworms (Allolobophora sp.) on soil systems: a microfaunal and biochemical analysis. Pedobiologia, 2003, 47, 877–881.

  • Villenave, C., Rabary, B., Kichenin, E., Djigal, D. and Blanchart, E., Earthworms and plant residues modify nematodes in tropical cropping soils (Madagascar): a Mesocosm experiment. Appl. Environ. Soil Sci., 2010, 7.

  • Suhane, R. K. Vermicompost (In Hindi); Pub. of Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar, 2007, p. 88.


Abstract Views: 552

PDF Views: 142




  • Role of Earthworm in Improving Soil Structure and Functioning

Abstract Views: 552  |  PDF Views: 142

Authors

D. K. Sharma
Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India
S. Tomar
Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India
D. Chakraborty
Division of Agricultural Physics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India

Abstract


Earthworms commonly occur within the soil. They alter physico-chemical and biological regimes of the soil through their activities, such as burrowing, casting, feeding and propagating, and therefore are known as 'ecosystem engineers'. Through their activities, they provide a number of ecosystem services which are ecologically and socio-economically important. This article reviews the role of earthworms in improving soil structural and functional properties, which serves as key determinants of soil ecosystem services and economic benefits for the farmers. A methodology of economic evaluation of the agro-ecosystem services provided by earthworms has been demonstrated. Further, the information gaps and future research have been discussed for ensuring sustainable agroecosystems management.

Keywords


Earthworm, Economic Evaluation, Soil Ecosystem Services, Soil Aggregation, Sustainable Agriculture.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv113%2Fi06%2F1064-1071