Darwin's earthworms revisited

摘要: Abstract Down House was Charles Darwin's home from 1842 until his death in 1882 and where he wrote “The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action Worms”. The work described here is based upon passages this book further observations on earthworms area. General were made addition to systematic sampling areas selected either signs earthworm activity, habitat type or direct relation documented work. Greatest species richness (n = 9) found Middle Field. density present Kitchen Garden (715 m−2) with largest associated biomass (261 g m−2). Aporrectodea longa most abundant species. Lumbricus terrestris, by Darwin terms its behaviour, but not directly named, located relatively low numbers, diagnostic middens burrows easily detected. Earthworms cinder chalk application experiments also examined. In total, 19 Britain's 28 within nominated World Heritage Site.