Earthworm Ecology

Earthworm 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.

Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION The Importance of Earthworms as Key Representatives of the Soil Fauna Clive A. Edwards How Earthworms Affect Plant Growth: Burrowing into the Mechanisms George G. Brown, Clive A. Edwards, and Lijbert Brussaard EARTHWORM TAXONOMY, DIVERSITY, AND BIOGEOGRAPHY Planetary Processes and Their Interactions with Earthworm Distributions and Ecology Samuel W. James The Status of Earthworm Biogeography, Diversity, and Taxonomy in North America Revisited with Glimpses into the Future John W. Reynolds Invasion of Exotic Earthworms into North America and Other Regions Samuel W. James and Paul F. Hendrix EARTHWORM BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR, AND PHYSIOLOGY Factors Affecting the Abundance of Earthworms in Soils Jim P. Curry A Comprehensive Study of the Taxonomy and Ecology of the Lumbricid Earthworm Genus Octodrilus from the Carpathians Victor V. Pop and Adriana Antonia Pop INFLUENCE OF EARTHWORMS ON SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DYNAMICS, NUTRIENT DYNAMICS, AND MICROBIAL ECOLOGY Effects of Earthworms on Soil Organic Matter and Nutrient Dynamics at a Landscape Scale over Decades Patrick Lavelle, Beto Pashanasi, Fabienne Charpentier, Cécile Gilot, Jean-Pierre Rossi, Laurent Derouard, Jean Andre, Jean-François Ponge, and Nicolas Bernier Integrating the Effects of Earthworms on Nutrient Cycling across Spatial and Temporal Scales Patrick J. Bohlen, Robert W. Parmelee, and John M. Blair EFFECTS OF EARTHWORMS ON SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND FUNCTION Quantifying the Effects of Earthworms on Soil Aggregation and Porosity Martin J. Shipitalo and Renee-Claire Le Bayon Effects of Earthworms on Soil Organization André Kretzschmar INTERACTIONS OF EARTHWORMS WITH MICROORGANISMS, INVERTEBRATES, AND PLANTS Functional Interactions between Earthworms, Microorganisms, Organic Matter, and Plants George G. Brown and Bernard M. Doube Impacts of Earthworms on Other Biota in Forest Soils, with Some Emphasis on Cool Temperate Montane Forests Dennis Parkinson, Mary Ann McLean, and Stefan Scheu EARTHWORMS IN AGROECOSYSTEMS Managing Earthworms as a Resource in Australian Pastures Geoff H. Baker Earthworms in Agroecosystems: Research Approaches Paul F. Hendrix and Clive A. Edwards EARTHWORMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION Earthworms as Test Organisms in Ecotoxicological Assessment of Toxicant Impacts on Ecosystems Adriaan J. Reinecke and S.A. Reinecke Earthworms in Environmental Research Herman Eijsackers EARTHWORMS IN WASTE MANAGEMENT The Use of Earthworms in the Breakdown of Organic Wastes to Produce Vermicomposts and Animal Feed Protein Clive A. Edwards and Norman Q. Arancon The Use of Earthworms: Nature's Gift for Utilization of Organic Wastes in Asia Radha D. Kale State of the Art and New Perspectives on Vermicomposting Research Jorge Domínguez