Rapid redistribution and long-term aggregation of mulch residues by earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris)

摘要: There has been minimal study of how ecosystem engineering anecic earthworms such as Lumbricus terrestris L. may influence the distribution of mulch amendments across the soil surface by collecting residues into middens. The two primary research objectives of this study were: (1) to determine how rapidly earthworms change the surface distribution of mulch following amendment, and (2) to produce a more spatially explicit map of earthworm aggregation of mulch. This study used a microcosm experiment to assess the immediate, short-term impacts of earthworms on recently added mulch at a small scale, and an opportunistic field study of the longer-term impacts of earthworms on the distribution of corn ‘stubble’ mulch in a former agricultural field. In the microcosm experiment, earthworms rapidly redistributed mulch within the first week post amendment, decreasing initial ground cover (15-29% decrease). Over …