Abstract
Ecological studies on earthworms were conducted in a Kumaun Himalayan pasture soil. The C:N ratio in the soil declined with increasing depth. A combination of hand-sorting and formalin application was used to sample the earthworms. Three species, Amynthas alexandri, A. diffringens (Megascolecidae), and Eisenia fetida (Lumbricidae) were found. Of the 13310 individuals collected, 99.9% were A. alexandri. The maximum density (138.8 m-2) and biomass (25.2 g m-2) were recorded in the wet season. More than 60% of the total earthworm numbers and biomass were recorded at 0–10 cm in depth. The mean yearly ratio of clitellate to aclitellate worms was 1:7.3.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Aina PO (1984) Contribution of earthworm to potosity and water infiltration in a tropical soil under forest and long term cultivation. Pedobiologia 26:131–136
Axellson B, Gardefors D, Lohm U, Tenow O (1971) Reliability of estimating standing crop of earthworms by hand-sorting. Pedobiologia 11:338–340
Barley KP (1959) The influence of earthworm on soil fertility. II. Consumption of soil and organic matter by the earthworm Allolobophora caliginosa (Savigny). Aust J Agric Res 10:179–185
Bouche MB (1977) Strategies lombriciennes. Ecol Bull 23:122–132
Dash MC, Patra UC (1977) Density, biomass, and energy budget of a tropical earthworm population from a grassland site in Orissa, India. Indian Rev Ecol Biol Sol 14:461–471
Jackson ML (1958) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Julin E (1948) Vesser udde Monk Och vegetation i en igenvaxande lovang vid Bjarka-Saby. Acta Phytogeogr Suec 23
Julka JM (1986) Earthworm resources in India. In: Dash MC, Senapati BK, Misra PC (eds) Part B: Worms and vermicom-postin. Proc Natl Semin Org Waste Utilization Vermicom-posting. Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, India, pp 1–7
Kale RD, Krishnamoorthy RV (1982) Distribution and abundance of earthworms in Bangalore. Proc Indian Acad Sci 87B:23–25
Kalisz PJ, Dotson DB (1989) Landuse history and the occurrence of exotic earthworms in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. Am Midl Nat 122:188–297
Khalaf El-Duweini AK, Ghabbour SI (1965) Population density and biomass of earthworms in different types of Egyptian soils. J Appl Ecol 2:271–287
Lavelle P (1978) Les vers de terre de la savane de Lamto: Peuplements, population et fonctions dans l'ecosysteme. Publ Lab Zool Ens 12:301
Lee KE (1985) Earthworms: Their ecology and relationships with soils and land use. Academic Press, Sydney
Mackay AD, Kladivko EJ (1985) Earthworms and rate of break-down of soya bean and maize residues in soils. Soil Biol Biochem 17:851–857
Mato S, Mascato R, Trigo D, Cosin DJD (1988) Vertical distribution in soil of earthworms in Sierra del Caurel. 1. Species and vegetation types. Pedobiologia 32:193–200
McCredie TA, Parker CA, Abbot I (1992) Population dynamics of the earthworm Aporrectodea trapezoides (Annelida: Lumbricidae) in a Western Australian pasture soil. Biol Fertil Soils 12:285–289
Misra R (1968) Ecology workbook. Oxford and IBH Publishing Company, Calcutta
Misra PC, Dash MC (1984) Population dynamics and respiratory metabolism of earthworm population in a subtropical dry woodland of Western Orissa, India. Trop Ecol 25:103–116
Mohanjit (1986) Ecophysiological studies on earthworms in relation to conversion of soil nutrients. PhD thesis, HAU, Hissar, India
Nelson JM, Satchell JE (1962) The extraction of Lumbricidae from soil with special reference to the hand sorting method. In: Murphy PW (ed) Progress in soil zoology. Butterworths, London, pp 294–299
Nordstrom S, Rundgren S (1973) Association of Lumbricids in Southern Sweden. Pedobiologia 13:301–326
Nordstrom S, Rundgren S (1974) Environment factors and lumbricid associations in Southern Sweden. Pedobilogia 14:1–27
Phillipson J, Abel R, Steel J, Woodell SRJ (1976) Earthworm and the factors governing their distribution in an English beech-wood. Pedobiologia 16:258–285
Piearce TG (1982) Recovery of earthworm populations following salt water flooding. Pedobiologia 24:91–100
Raw F (1959) Estimating earthworm populations by using formalin. Nature (London) 184:1661–1662
Raw F (1960) Earthworm population studies: A comparison of sampling methods. Nature (London) 187:257
Reynoldson TS (1955) Observations on the earthworms of North Wales. NW Naturalist 3:291–304
Rozen A (1982) The annual cycle in population of earthworms (Lumbricidae, Oligochaeta) in three types of oak-hornbeam of the Niepolomicka forest. II. Dynamics of population numbers, biomass and age structure. Pedobiologia 31:169–178
Satchell JE (1967) Lumbricidae. In: Burgess A, Raw F (eds) Soil biology. Academic Press, London, pp 259–322
Stephensen J (1930) The Ologochaeta, Oxford University Press, Oxford
Sugi Y, Tanaka M (1978) Population study of an earthworm Pheretima sieboldi. In: Kira T, Ono y, Hosokawa T (eds) Biological production in a warm temperate evergreen oak forest of Japan. JIBP Synthesis Univ Tokyo Press, Tokyo, pp 163–171
Terhivuo J (1989) The Lumbricidae (Oligochaeta) of Southern Finland: Assemblage, numbers, biomass and respiration. Ann Zool Fenn 26:1–23
Tsukamoto J (1985) Soil macro-animals on a slope in a deciduous broad leaved forest. II. Earthworms of Lumbricidae and Megascolecidae. Jpn J Ecol 35:37–48
Van Rhee JA (1969) Development of earthworm populations in polder soil. Pedobiologia 9:133–140
Watanabe H (1975) On the amount of cast production by the Megascolecid Phertima hupeiensis. Pedobiologia 15:20–28
Zajonc I (1970) Synuzie dazodoviek (Lumbricidae) na lukach Karpatskoj oblasti Ceskoslovenska. Biol Pr:1–98
Zicsi A (1962) Determination of number and size of sampling unit for estimating Lumbricid populations on arable soils. In: Murphy PW (ed) Progress in soil biology. Butterworth, London, pp 68–71
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kaushal, B.R., Bisht, S.P.S. Population dynamics of the earthworm Amynthas alexandri (Annelida: Megascolecidae) in a Kumaun Himalayan pasture soil. Biol Fert Soils 17, 9–13 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00418664
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00418664