Influence of clay content and acidity of soil on development of the earthworm <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lumbricus rubellus</Emphasis> and its population level consequences |
| |
| Authors: | Chris Klok Jack Faber Guido Heijmans Jos Bodt Annemariet van der Hout |
| |
| Institution: | (1) ALTERRA, Centre for Ecosystem Studies, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands |
| |
| 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. |
| |
| Keywords: | Lumbricus rubellus Soil properties Maturation weight Population growth rate Population model |
| 本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录！ |
|
