Earthworm EcologyEarthworm Ecology, Second Edition updates the most comprehensive work available on earthworm ecology with extensive revisions of the original chapters. New chapters analyze the history of earthworm research, the importance of earthworms as representatives of soil fauna and how they affect plant growth, the effects of the invasion of exotic earthworms into North America and other regions, and vermiculture and vermicomposting in Europe.This well-illustrated, expansive study examines the important and often overlooked impact earthworms have on the environment. It discusses the impact of climate, soil properties, predation, disease and parasitism, and competition upon earthworm ecology. |
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very good and informatie book on earthworm ecology
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Earthworms are everywhere (excluding deserts and a few others extreme sites), and their overall population quantity highly exceeds that of humans. Their numbers were as high for millions of years, and as Darwin had said, they can even change landscape through billions of minor changes. Their respiration processes produce CO2, and their activities highly influences the flux of this gas in the biosphere. Thus it can be said that these intervebrates have impact on many antrophogenic actual earth problems, and that studying earthworms behavior could give various hints in solving them. This book is simply interesting, provides general knowledge about soil and plant growth, but most of all describes complicated mechanisms, that in long-term will shape our future. Highly recommended
Contents
| 3 | |
| 13 | |
Earthworm Taxonomy Diversity and Biogeography | 51 |
Chapter 3 Planetary Processes and Their Interactions with Earthworm Distributions and Ecology | 53 |
Chapter 4 The Status of Earthworm Biogeography Diversity and Taxonomy in North America Revisited with Glimpses into the Future | 63 |
Chapter 5 Invasion of Exotic Earthworms into North America and Other Regions | 75 |
Earthworm Biology Ecology Behavior and Physiology | 89 |
Chapter 6 Factors Affecting the Abundance of Earthworms in Soils | 91 |
Interactions of Earthworms with Microorganisms Invertebrates and Plants | 211 |
Chapter 12 Functional Interactions between Earthworms Microorganisms Organic Matter and Plants | 213 |
Chapter 13 Impacts of Earthworms on Other Biota in Forest Soils with Some Emphasis on Cool Temperate Montane Forests | 241 |
Earthworms in Agroecosystems | 261 |
Chapter 14 Managing Earthworms as a Resource in Australian Pastures | 263 |
Research Approaches | 287 |
Earthworms and Environemtal Pollution | 297 |
Chapter 16 Earthworms as Test Organisms in Ecotoxicological Assessment of Toxicant Impacts on Ecosystems | 299 |
Chapter 7 A Comprehensive Study of the Taxonomy and Ecology of the Lumbricid Earthworm Genus Octodrilus from the Carpathians | 115 |
Influence of Earthworms on Soil Organic Matter Dynamics Nutrient Dynamics and Microbial Ecology | 143 |
Chapter 8 Effects of Earthworms on Soil Organic Matter and Nutrient Dynamics at a Landscape Scale over Decades | 145 |
Chapter 9 Integrating the Effects of Earthworms on Nutrient Cycling across Spatial and Temporal Scales | 161 |
Effects of Earthworms on Soil Physical Properties and Function | 181 |
Chapter 10 Quantifying the Effects of Earthworms on Soil Aggreation and Porosity | 183 |
Chapter 11 Effects of Earthworms on Soil Organization | 201 |
Chapter 17 Earthworms in Environmental Research | 321 |
Earthworms in Waste Management | 343 |
Chapter 18 The Use of Earthworms in the Breakdown of Organic Wastes to Produce Vermicomposts and Animal Feed Protein | 345 |
Natures Gift for Utilization of Organic Wastes in Asia | 381 |
Chapter 20 StateoftheArt and New Perspectives on Vermicomposting Research | 401 |
Index | 425 |
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Common terms and phrases
abundance aggregates agricultural animal Aporrectodea areas assessment Australia Baker Biochem biological biomass Bohlen Brown changes Chapter chemical contaminated contribute crop cycling decreased distribution dynamics earthworm activity earthworm burrows earthworm casts earthworm populations earthworm species Ecol Ecology ecosystems Edwards effects of earthworms endogeic Environ environmental et al experiments factors feeding Fertil fetida Figure forest fungi impacts important increased indicate inßuence interactions introduction invasion invertebrates Italy laboratory land Lavelle levels litter Lumbricidae Lumbricus terrestris materials microbial microorganisms mineral natural nitrogen North nutrient observed occur Octodrilus Oligochaeta organic matter organic wastes pastures Pedobiologia physical plant growth potential present Press processes production range rates relatively reported residues response Reynolds role root Soil Biol soil organic studies suggested surface tests toxicity tropical types various vermicomposting worms Þeld
Popular passages
Page 14 - Earth-worms, though in appearance a small and despicable link in the chain of nature, yet, if lost, would make a lamentable chasm. For, to say nothing of half the birds, and some quadrupeds which are almost entirely supported by them, worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation...
Page 14 - ... worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them, by boring, perforating, and loosening the soil, and rendering it pervious to rains and the fibres of plants, by drawing straws and stalks of leaves and twigs into it; and, most of all, by throwing up such infinite numbers of lumps of earth called worm-casts, which, being their excre105 ment, is a fine manure for grain and grass.
Page 183 - For, to say nothing of half the .birds, >and some quadrupeds, which are almost entirely supported by them, worms seem to be the great promoters of vegetation, which would proceed but lamely without them, by boring, perforating, and loosening the soil, and rendering it pervious to rains and the fibres of plants, by drawing straws and stalks of leaves and twigs into it, and, most of all, by throwing up such infinite numbers of lumps of earth called worm- casts, which, being their excrement, is a fine...
Page 14 - Gardeners and farmers express their detestation of worms ; the former because they render their walks unsightly, and make them much work ; and the latter because, as they think, worms eat their green corn. But these men would find that the earth without worms would soon become cold, hard-bound, and void of fermentation, and consequently sterile...
Page 120 - A subspecies is an aggregate of phenotypically similar populations of a species, inhabiting a geographic subdivision of the range of the species, and differing from other populations of the species.
Page 316 - Report of the second stage in development of a standardized laboratory method for assessing the toxicity of chemical substances to earthworms.
Page 320 - Van Gestel, CAM, Van Dis, WA, Van Breemen, EM and Sparenburg, PM (1989). Development of a standardized reproduction toxicity test with the earthworm species Eisenia andrei using copper, pentachlorophenol and 2,4dichloroaniline.
Page 109 - U. and Lofs-Holmin, A. 1986. Growth of earthworms (Allolobophora caliginosa) fed shoots and roots of barley, meadow fescue and lucerne. Studies in relation to particle size, protein, crude fibre content and toxicity, Pedobiologia, 29, 1-12.
Page 235 - Jenkinson, DS, and JN Ladd. 1981. Microbial biomass in soil: measurement and turnover, p.
Page 199 - Shipitalo, MJ, WM Edwards, WA Dick, and LB Owens. 1990. Initial storm effects on macropore transport of surface-applied chemicals in no-till soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.
References to this book
Invertebrates as Webmasters in Ecosystems David C. Coleman,Paul F. Hendrix No preview available - 2000 |
Bibliographic information
| Title | Earthworm Ecology |
| Editor | Clive A. Edwards |
| Edition | 2, illustrated, revised |
| Publisher | CRC Press, 2004 |
| ISBN | 1420039717, 9781420039719 |
| Length | 456 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |