Organic matter composition and the protist and nematode communities around anecic earthworm burrows

Andriuzzi, Walter S.; Ngo, Phuong-Thi; Geisen, Stefan; Keith, Aidan M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9619-1320; Dumack, Kenneth; Bolger, Thomas; Bonkowski, Michael; Brussaard, Lijbert; Faber, Jack H.; Chabbi, Abad; Rumpel, Cornelia; Schmidt, Olaf. 2016 Organic matter composition and the protist and nematode communities around anecic earthworm burrows. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 52 (1). 91-100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-015-1056-6

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Official URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00374-...

Abstract/Summary

By living in permanent burrows and incorporating organic detritus from the soil surface, anecic earthworms contribute to soil heterogeneity, but their impact is still under-studied in natural field conditions. We investigated the effects of the anecic earthworm Lumbricus centralis on fresh carbon (C) incorporation, soil organic matter composition, protists, and nematodes of a Cambisol under grassland. We used plant material labelled with stable isotope tracers to detect fresh C input around earthworm-occupied burrows or around burrows from which the earthworm had been removed. After 50 days, we sampled soil (0–10 cm depth) in concentric layers around the burrows, distinguishing between drilosphere (0–8 mm) and bulk soil (50–75 mm). L. centralis effectively incorporated fresh C into the drilosphere, and this shifted soil organic matter amount and chemistry: total soil sugar content was increased compared to unoccupied drilosphere and bulk soil, and the contribution of plant-derived sugars to soil organic matter was enhanced. Earthworms also shifted the spatial distribution of soil C towards the drilosphere. The total abundance of protists and nematodes was only slightly higher in earthworm-occupied drilosphere, but strong positive effects were found for some protist clades (e.g. Stenamoeba spp.). Additional data for the co-occurring anecic earthworm species Aporrectodea longa showed that it incorporated fresh C less than L. centralis, suggesting that the two species may have different effects on soil C distribution and organic matter quality.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-015-1056-6
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	Parr
ISSN:	0178-2762
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.
Additional Keywords:	decomposition, Lumbricidae, nematodes, protists, soil organic matter, stable isotope tracers
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment Agriculture and Soil Science Zoology
Date made live:	21 Sep 2015 10:27 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/511769

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-015-1056-6

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

Parr

ISSN:

0178-2762

Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:

Open Access paper - full text available via Official URL link.

Additional Keywords:

decomposition, Lumbricidae, nematodes, protists, soil organic matter, stable isotope tracers