European Journal of Soil Biology最新文献

{"title":"The use of olive mill pomace compost increases the population of certain ground/soil organisms in olive groves","authors":"José E. González-Zamora,&nbsp;José M. Gamero-Monge,&nbsp;Rosa Pérez-de la Luz","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Olive is one of the largest crops in Spain, primarily for oil extraction from drupes. This process produces a by-product called ‘alperujo’, which can be composted and used as fertilizer. This study investigated the impact of ‘alperujo’ compost on ground/soil invertebrate inhabitants compared to mineral fertilization in two groves with different crop management types (superintensive and traditional) during 2021 and 2022. Anystidae/Erythraeidae (Acari; Trombidiformes) and Acari (Other) were more abundant in the compost treatment in both groves, but significant only in the superintensive grove. Some other ground/soil inhabitants, such as Anthicidae (Coleoptera), Araneae, and Gastropoda were generally more present in the compost treatment of the superintensive grove. No significant effect of fertiliser treatment was observed for other ground/soil organisms. Future studies with more replicas and over a longer period of time should be performed to confirm these results, but they can be considered of interest to push forward the implementation of ‘alperujo’ compost in the olive fertilization, favouring a circular economy and a sustainable agriculture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103668"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1164556324000748/pdfft?md5=2bec1059301fc55f3a7c9b0072e6ff4f&pid=1-s2.0-S1164556324000748-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142083920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A meta-analysis to compare the sensitivities of earthworms and enchytraeids to different stressors","authors":"Cécile Serbource ,&nbsp;Lucas Petit-Dit-Grezeriat ,&nbsp;Céline Pelosi","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103656","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103656","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Earthworms and enchytraeids are soil organisms involved in key soil functions, such as organic matter turnover and soil structure, at different scales. In natural soils, these organisms are exposed and sensitive to different abiotic factors (e.g., climate, land use and management) and are often used as bioindicators of human disturbances, particularly chemical stress. However, the sensitivity of these two groups of Oligochaeta (Annelida) to different stressors has never been compared. Using data from 49 publications and 330 observations, we performed a meta-analysis to compare the sensitivities of earthworms and enchytraeids to all kinds of stressors under similar test conditions. Earthworms and enchytraeids were found to be equally sensitive to chemical stressors (mean effect size −0.61 [-2.53; 1.30]) regardless of the studied endpoint (mortality or reproduction). Most of the observations dealt with the effects of pesticides (42 %) and heavy metals (40 %) on both organisms. No difference in sensitivity was revealed when these two stressors were considered separately. Regarding the two most studied species of enchytraeids and earthworms, the mean effect sizes of all the possible combinations of <em>Eisenia fetida</em> (41 % of the studies) or <em>Eisenia andrei</em> (48 %) or <em>Enchytraeus crypticus</em> (73 % of the studies) or <em>Enchytraeus albidus</em> (27 %) did not reveal any differences in sensitivity. This study also highlights the lack of studies on environmentally relevant (i.e., representative of natural soils) enchytraeid and earthworm species. We also revealed that mostly ecotoxicologists have compared the sensitivities of these two key soil organisms when they are exposed to and threatened by other important factors, such as agricultural practices and climate change.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103656"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142076166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mulching drive changes in soil microbial community assembly processes and networks across aggregate fractions","authors":"Yang Liu ,&nbsp;Caidi Yang ,&nbsp;Xin Fu ,&nbsp;Fazhu Zhao ,&nbsp;Jun Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil microbial community assembly processes and networks in croplands have been widely explored; however, their dynamics and how they regulate winter wheat yield across distinct soil aggregate fractions under the combined effects of mulching and soil horizons have not been comprehensively understood. Therefore, based on a 9-y field experiment, the responses of soil bacterial and fungal community assembly processes and interkingdom association networks to mulching were specifically investigated at the soil aggregation level. Soil properties and microbial biomass were separated into distinct mulching in the topsoil (0–10 cm), and soil water content was considered the most critical factor. The soil bacterial community was affected mainly by mulching and soil horizon compared with the fungal community in microaggregates (&lt;0.25 mm). Notably, the bacterial community displayed more robust stochastic processes than the fungal one, and microbial interkingdom association networks were more complex and stable in micro-than macroaggregates. Soil potential carbon mineralization, pH, and total nitrogen were the dominant properties regulating winter wheat grain yield in combination with microbial community composition, assembly processes, and networks in each soil aggregate class. Wheat yield decreased under straw mulching and was mainly regulated by bacterial community composition and assembly processes. Thus, this study enhanced our understanding of the regulations for wheat yield, which could facilitate soil microbial community management at the aggregation level for sustainable crop production in mulching conservation agroecosystems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103664"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142048080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of agricultural practices on earthworm communities in Estonia","authors":"Merit Sutri ,&nbsp;Mari Ivask ,&nbsp;Annely Kuu ,&nbsp;Jordi Escuer-Gatius ,&nbsp;Endla Reintam ,&nbsp;Merrit Shanskiy","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Earthworms support and mediate the provision of many processes in the soil. They are therefore important in maintaining soil functioning and contribute towards the sustainability of soil management systems. Assessment of earthworm communities can provide answers regarding the land management conservation efforts and insight on soil quality. The main aim of this study was to assess the impact of farming (organic vs conventional) and tillage (no-tillage vs minimum tillage vs conventional tillage) systems on earthworm communities under varying soil conditions in arable fields across Estonia. To achieve this, we compiled data from studies carried out over a period of 21 years on Estonian arable fields. While organic farming and conventional farming showed a similar earthworm abundance, earthworm diversity was significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) under the organic system. Higher abundance, species richness, and the proportion of anecic species suggest that a no-tillage system creates the most favourable habitat conditions for earthworms. Soil texture further influenced the effect of management system on earthworm abundance and diversity indexes. For example, the differences in earthworm abundance and diversity between the management systems increased from lighter textured to heavier textured soils. Our results suggest that soil texture is a major factor influencing earthworm communities in Estonian agricultural fields and emphasizes the importance of including different soil texture classes when assessing the effects of agricultural management practices in field-scale studies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103662"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142006506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil texture contributes to shaping comammox Nitrospira communities in rice-wheat rotation soils","authors":"Zhiying Guo ,&nbsp;Jie Liu ,&nbsp;Luyuan Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaodan Cui ,&nbsp;Guiping Ye ,&nbsp;Jia Liu ,&nbsp;Xianzhang Pan ,&nbsp;Yongxin Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox <em>Nitrospira</em>) are intriguing discoveries that mark a significant milestone in the global nitrogen cycle. While numerous soil physiochemical variables have been identified as key influencers of comammox <em>Nitrospira</em> distribution, the role of soil texture in shaping these communities remains largely uncertain. Here, we explored the diversity, community structure of comammox <em>Nitrospira</em>, and their driving factors, including soil texture in 237 rice-wheat rotation soils. The results indicated that soil pH and texture were the primary factors influencing the Shannon diversity and richness of comammox <em>Nitrospira</em>. Comammox <em>Nitrospira</em> Shannon diversity and richness were positively associated with soil pH and silt content, but negatively correlated with clay content, suggesting that finer-textured soils harbored lower comammox <em>Nitrospira</em> diversity. Additionally, silt content emerged as the second most influential factor, after pH, shaping comammox <em>Nitrospira</em> community structure. Clade A.2 was found as the predominant comammox <em>Nitrospira</em> clade in rice-wheat rotation soils, representing 59.3 % of the total sequences. Clade A.2 exhibited a positive correlation with sand and clay contents but a negative association with silt content. Conversely, Clades A.3 and B demonstrated the opposite pattern. Overall, our study underscores the critical role of soil texture as a mediator of comammox <em>Nitrospira</em> diversity and community structure, emphasizing the need to consider soil texture in investigations of comammox <em>Nitrospira</em>.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103661"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141954204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Responses of soil microbial biomass carbon and microbial entropy to soil properties in typical sloping croplands of China under erosion conditions","authors":"Yuan Li ,&nbsp;Shengzhao Wei ,&nbsp;Hongna Wang ,&nbsp;Enwei Zhang ,&nbsp;Xingwu Duan","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial entropy play a crucial role in the carbon cycle of terrestrial ecosystems, while their responses to soil properties in typical sloping croplands under the impact of soil erosion remain poorly understood due to the complexity of the soil erosion process. In this study, we selected typical sloping croplands with different erosion levels for the four severely eroded soil types (black, loess, purple, and red soil) in China to assess the key controls of MBC and microbial entropy under the influence of soil erosion. The results showed that soil erosion significantly reduced the MBC content but increased the microbial entropy of sloping croplands in black soil region (BS) (22 %, 43.6 %), purple soil region (PS) (25.5 %, 26.2 %) and red soil region (RS) (28.9 %, 21.9 %), but not in loess soil region (LS). The soil physicochemical properties had significantly positive and negative correlations on the MBC and microbial entropy, respectively. The MBC and microbial entropy of these sloping croplands had different dominant drivers under soil erosion. Overall, our results revealed that changes in MBC and microbial entropy directly depended on the fundamental properties of the soil and soil erosion could indirectly affect the MBC and microbial entropy by directly affecting the physicochemical properties of soil. Thus, the impact of soil erosion on sloping croplands and the associated responses following changes in MBC and microbial entropy provide fresh insights into predicting the effects of soil erosion on carbon stability.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103660"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141954203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biochar and wood vinegar amendments influence the potential nitrification rate and nitrifier communities in high pH sodic saline soils","authors":"Zhipeng Yu ,&nbsp;Hongyan Wang ,&nbsp;Yongzhe Zhu ,&nbsp;Hongrui Zhao ,&nbsp;Meiqi Xin ,&nbsp;Yan Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Nitrifiers are the key player in the nitrogen cycle of agroecosystems, yet less research has focused on their performance and response in saline ecosystems. In this study, we carried out potting experiments with biochar and wood vinegar as saline soil amendments under rice cultivation conditions with four different treatments: without biochar or wood vinegar (CK), biochar (BC), wood vinegar (WV), and biochar + wood vinegar (BC + WV). The results showed that the addition of biochar and/or wood vinegar decreased the soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC), which led to an increase in the gene abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), thereby benefiting the advancement of the potential nitrification rate (PNR). WV and BC + WV significantly increased the gene abundance of <em>Nitrospira</em>. In addition, the addition of biochar and wood vinegar altered the community composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), while the NH₄⁺-N content was the key factor affecting the nitrifier communities. Compared to the CK group, biochar and/or wood vinegar significantly increased the relative abundance of <em>Nitrosospira</em> cluster 3 b in AOB and unknown affiliation in nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Overall, the abundance and community composition of AOB contributed more to the PNR than those of AOA, while NOB played a pivotal role in the potential nitrite oxidation (PNO) rate in sodic saline soils. In conclusion, the addition of biochar with wood vinegar had positive effect on improving sodic saline soils by improving the physicochemical properties of the soils, increasing the abundance of nitrifier and changing the community structure of nitrifier. Exploration of the key drivers of soil nitrifier processes is potentially useful for understanding the biological potential of nutrient cycling, providing novel insight into the effects of human intervention and soil management.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103658"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141932225","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increased nitrogen accumulation in mulberry trees due to the secretion of glomalin-related soil protein induced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi","authors":"Huirong Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongguang Cheng ,&nbsp;Fang Zhang ,&nbsp;Shiqing Peng ,&nbsp;Yanjin Shi ,&nbsp;Chaobin Luo ,&nbsp;Xueping Tian ,&nbsp;Zhenhong Wang ,&nbsp;Dan Xing","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103659","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103659","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the initial stages of restoring areas affected by rocky desertification, plant survival is strongly influenced by nitrogen nutrition. Mycorrhization is a unique type of inter-root engineering that improves nitrogen acquisition efficiency by plant roots. We selected potted mulberry trees inoculated, two dominant arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with <em>Funneliformis mosseae</em> (Fm) and <em>Rhizophagus intraradices</em> (Ri), to clarify the effects of AMF on the root nitrogen content of mulberry trees. Meanwhile, the key factors of soil nitrogen changes caused by AMF were analyzed, based on the primary role of soil nitrogen as the source of root nitrogen. Simultaneously, the potential of AMF to promote the acquisition of different forms of nitrogen by mulberry roots was investigated. Our findings indicate that the inoculation of mulberry plants with Fm and Ri, improved plant height and increased nitrogen accumulation in the roots and shoots. Additionally, AMF regulates nitrogen transformation, significantly increasing soil nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) levels. The results indicated that soil NH₄⁺-N, NO₃⁻-N, and DON contributed to the observed changes in root nitrogen accumulation. The largest contribution (22.0 %) to the overall effect size was made by NO₃⁻-N. AMF stimulated soil microbial activity and significantly increased soil glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), enzyme activity, and soil microbial biomass (SMB). Urease activity and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) both increased exponentially by 118.7 % and 115.2 %, respectively. Higher GRSP, enzyme activity, and SMB were positively correlated with changes in soil nitrogen patterns, and GRSP had the most significant effect on changes in the soil nitrogen dynamics. Our study confirmed that inoculation with AMF not only regulates soil nitrogen dynamics but also diversifies plant nitrogen sources. This is achieved by increasing plant growth and enhancing soil microbial activity. Ultimately, this enhances plant root nitrogen nutrition. Therefore, AMF promote root nitrogen accumulation and enhance root nitrogen uptake through GRSP-regulated soil nitrogen, providing a theoretical basis for the management of rocky desertification.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103659"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141932226","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Land use effect on dominance of native and exotic earthworm species in two contrasting rural landscapes","authors":"Gabriella Jorge-Escudero ,&nbsp;Andrés Ligrone ,&nbsp;Jan Lagerlöf ,&nbsp;Claudio Martínez ,&nbsp;Mónica Cadenazzi ,&nbsp;Carlos A. Pérez","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Lumbricids and several species of the genus <em>Amynthas</em> have spread over all continents and seem to be better competitors than natives in disturbed ecosystems and agricultural fields. More than half of Uruguay's 19 earthworm species recorded by 2014 are exotic. Aiming to contribute to the scarce information on earthworm ecology in the region, the objectives of this work were 1) to characterize the earthworm communities in agriculture and natural ecosystems, and 2) to assess the relationship between land use and richness of native and exotic earthworm species. Related to the latter objective, we hypothesized that the difference in the number of exotic and native species depended on the degree of disturbance, and predicted that exotic species would dominate in more disturbed soils. We sampled organic and nonorganic agricultural fields including wheat in the rotations in the South and the North-West of Uruguay. Undisturbed sites, <em>i.e.</em> with no recent agriculture activity, close to each sampling plot served as controls. Analyses were conducted to elucidate whether other variables, besides disturbance and location, could be influencing earthworm community structure and composition. In both locations, exotic species dominated in control plots, i.e. less or non-disturbed land, and were associated to higher N, C and soil porosity. Moreover, in the North-West, natives would dominate in terms of richness in most agriculture plots. The mean body weight was larger in the South, where there were more exotic species, than in the North-West, where there were more native species. Thirteen of the collected species had been reported for Uruguay, the four other species found, were reported for the first time in this paper: <em>Microscolex phosphoreus</em> and <em>Glossodrilus parecis</em> (natives); and <em>Aporrectodea tuberculata</em> and <em>Murchieona minuscula</em> (exotics). Finding four unrecorded species evidences the poor coverage of earthworm sampling in anthropic and natural landscapes of the country.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103618"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141932140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Homogeneous earthworm communities in Southern Ontario","authors":"Marie-Eugénie Maggia ,&nbsp;Thibaud Decaëns ,&nbsp;Karl Cottenie ,&nbsp;Dirk Steinke","doi":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103655","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejsobi.2024.103655","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Earthworms are key organisms of soil ecosystems, however, the determinants of the structure and distribution of earthworm communities and their relationships with agricultural practices are not well-studied in Canada. We sampled earthworm communities from four different habitat types along a disturbance gradient: agricultural crop land, forest around crop fields (buffers), recently restored natural grassland, and forests from conservation areas. As most species living in Canada are considered exotic and because of the recent colonization of Canadian soils by mostly European species after the extinction of the native species due to the glaciation of North America during the Pleistocene, we hypothesized that the impact of agricultural practices will be similar to what is observed in Europe: for example, crop habitat showing lowest abundance, richness, and proportion of epigeic and anecic species, due to lesser soil organic matter content and higher soil disturbance. We also hypothesized that important soil variables would be associated with these habitat differences. For each habitat we sampled earthworms using a combination of two methods (quantitative + qualitative) at three replicate sites, for two years between May and July together with important environmental variables. We found lower density and diversity of earthworms in crop habitat and proportionally more epigeic species than expected. Contrary to our predictions, forest-buffer earthworm communities were more similar to crop than to forest habitats, and soil environmental variables could not explain the variations in the spatial distribution of earthworm communities. In fact, our results revealed a more homogeneous distribution of the species diversity across the habitat gradient at local scales in Southern Ontario. This was mainly associated with spatial factors, probably due to historical extinction-colonization events of earthworms in Canada and the high invasive potential of the species currently present.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12057,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Soil Biology","volume":"122 ","pages":"Article 103655"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141932141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}