Pub Date : 2018-06-27DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75666
S. S. Thakur, S. Yadav
Online digital library (http://earthwormsofindia.com) for identification of earthworms of India has been developed for the first time. The database comprises digital keys for identification of earthworms of India, diagnostics, and mathematical parameters to provide a useful supplement for traditional morphological taxonomists and nonexperts in this area. This will scientifically broaden the taxonomic coverage of Indian earthworms. The genomic signatures with short sequences from standardized regions of the genome for 1192 specimens of earthworms were generated. Earlier, species identification of adult earthworms was possible only by dissection of the anterior end. However, this method is labor intensive, time-consuming, and very difficult for nonspecialists, particularly when dealing with field collections consisting of several different earthworm species. Furthermore, identification is limited to adult worms, as most life stages are unidentifiable and many morphological and anatomical characteristics of earthworms are variable, consequently, and the degree of variability can differ and features can overlap the taxa. The present work appears pioneer endeavor in this direction, as there appears no work available on the digitization of earthworms of India.
{"title":"Exploration of Earthworms of India through Online Digital Library","authors":"S. S. Thakur, S. Yadav","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75666","url":null,"abstract":"Online digital library (http://earthwormsofindia.com) for identification of earthworms of India has been developed for the first time. The database comprises digital keys for identification of earthworms of India, diagnostics, and mathematical parameters to provide a useful supplement for traditional morphological taxonomists and nonexperts in this area. This will scientifically broaden the taxonomic coverage of Indian earthworms. The genomic signatures with short sequences from standardized regions of the genome for 1192 specimens of earthworms were generated. Earlier, species identification of adult earthworms was possible only by dissection of the anterior end. However, this method is labor intensive, time-consuming, and very difficult for nonspecialists, particularly when dealing with field collections consisting of several different earthworm species. Furthermore, identification is limited to adult worms, as most life stages are unidentifiable and many morphological and anatomical characteristics of earthworms are variable, consequently, and the degree of variability can differ and features can overlap the taxa. The present work appears pioneer endeavor in this direction, as there appears no work available on the digitization of earthworms of India.","PeriodicalId":222537,"journal":{"name":"Earthworms - The Ecological Engineers of Soil","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123948631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-27DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.78264
Sajal Ray
Intimacy of human with earthworm has a long history. Hunter-gatherer mode of life style of primitive human faced the challenge of uncertainty of food for the alleviation of hunger. Primitive societies are thought to be solely dependent on collection of natural resources from forest, river, and other water bodies for survival. Such resources included both plants and animals with nutritional and medicinal significance. Early human invented, learnt, and improvised agricultural technologies in different regions of the planet. They observed that the silted river plains with adequate moisture content are extremely fertile for the growth of various crops. While practicing agriculture, they might have observed these moist bodied worms of soil and their casting heaps along the soil surface. During tilling, they unearthed and observed these worms, which are able to penetrate soil without much effort as and when necessary. They befriended these ‘down to earth’ worms, which were innocuous and beneficial for agricultural practice. Earthworms are the true friends of farmers and are capable of increasing porosity and fertility of agricultural soil by their natural activity. Traditional farmers rely on their indigenous knowledge base and experience, and care these worms for their professional interest. These slow moving, yet highly dynamic soil annelids are considered as one of the beneficial animals to human and an indicator of the general health of soil. Earthworms did not evolve vision and still are uniquely sensitive to microlevel shift in the quality of soil and other environmental parameters. Their sensitivity toward soil contaminants and selected ecological cues enabled them to act as source of biomarkers of toxin exposure to soil and water.
{"title":"Introductory Chapter: Earthworms - The Ecological Engineers of Soil","authors":"Sajal Ray","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.78264","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.78264","url":null,"abstract":"Intimacy of human with earthworm has a long history. Hunter-gatherer mode of life style of primitive human faced the challenge of uncertainty of food for the alleviation of hunger. Primitive societies are thought to be solely dependent on collection of natural resources from forest, river, and other water bodies for survival. Such resources included both plants and animals with nutritional and medicinal significance. Early human invented, learnt, and improvised agricultural technologies in different regions of the planet. They observed that the silted river plains with adequate moisture content are extremely fertile for the growth of various crops. While practicing agriculture, they might have observed these moist bodied worms of soil and their casting heaps along the soil surface. During tilling, they unearthed and observed these worms, which are able to penetrate soil without much effort as and when necessary. They befriended these ‘down to earth’ worms, which were innocuous and beneficial for agricultural practice. Earthworms are the true friends of farmers and are capable of increasing porosity and fertility of agricultural soil by their natural activity. Traditional farmers rely on their indigenous knowledge base and experience, and care these worms for their professional interest. These slow moving, yet highly dynamic soil annelids are considered as one of the beneficial animals to human and an indicator of the general health of soil. Earthworms did not evolve vision and still are uniquely sensitive to microlevel shift in the quality of soil and other environmental parameters. Their sensitivity toward soil contaminants and selected ecological cues enabled them to act as source of biomarkers of toxin exposure to soil and water.","PeriodicalId":222537,"journal":{"name":"Earthworms - The Ecological Engineers of Soil","volume":"113 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116769407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-27DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75619
Esperanza Huerta Lwanga, L. Cid, L. Esparza-Olguín, Eduardo Martínez-Romero, B. Jong, SusanaOchoa-Gaona
In Mexico, the best preserved tropical rain forest is found in Calakmul Reserve, where fallow land management has been established. Fallow lands are developed as a consequence of a successional vegetation process after clearing the primary vegetation and milpa production. Forty-nine sites were studied, where 17 were managed fallow lands, 24 non-managed fallow lands, and 8 tropical rain forests. Earthworms were collected at the end of the raining season, and four monoliths of 25 × 25 × 30 cm were developed per site according to the TSBF method. We observed how Zapatadrilus siboney , a native species was dominant in managed and non-managed fallow lands. Earthworm’s total biomass and density were not significantly different between the managed and non-man aged fallow lands. Earthworm’s species richness was significantly low in non-managed fallow lands. We observed a strong correlation between earthworm density and richness with the age of the fallow lands (r 2 : 0.9 and 0.7; p < 0.05, respectively). The management type of the fallow land seems to affect earthworm biomasses (r 2 : 0.56; p < 0.05).
{"title":"Abundance and Diversity of Earthworms in Managed and Non- Managed Fallow Lands of Calakmul Reserve of Campeche, Mexico","authors":"Esperanza Huerta Lwanga, L. Cid, L. Esparza-Olguín, Eduardo Martínez-Romero, B. Jong, SusanaOchoa-Gaona","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75619","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75619","url":null,"abstract":"In Mexico, the best preserved tropical rain forest is found in Calakmul Reserve, where fallow land management has been established. Fallow lands are developed as a consequence of a successional vegetation process after clearing the primary vegetation and milpa production. Forty-nine sites were studied, where 17 were managed fallow lands, 24 non-managed fallow lands, and 8 tropical rain forests. Earthworms were collected at the end of the raining season, and four monoliths of 25 × 25 × 30 cm were developed per site according to the TSBF method. We observed how Zapatadrilus siboney , a native species was dominant in managed and non-managed fallow lands. Earthworm’s total biomass and density were not significantly different between the managed and non-man aged fallow lands. Earthworm’s species richness was significantly low in non-managed fallow lands. We observed a strong correlation between earthworm density and richness with the age of the fallow lands (r 2 : 0.9 and 0.7; p < 0.05, respectively). The management type of the fallow land seems to affect earthworm biomasses (r 2 : 0.56; p < 0.05).","PeriodicalId":222537,"journal":{"name":"Earthworms - The Ecological Engineers of Soil","volume":"368 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122772059","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-06-27DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75127
Jaswinder Singh, Sharanpreet Singh, A. Vig, ArvinderKaur
Vermicomposting is a process by which the organic waste is converted into manure with the help of earthworms. Growth rate, onset of maturity (clitellum development), rate of reproduction (cocoon production) and population buildup of earthworm during vermicomposting have been depend upon the conditions like temperature, moisture and physico-chemical properties of the feed mixtures. Eisenia fetida was superior to other epigeic species and tolerate wide range of temperature, moisture and pH. Endogeic species produced lesser cocoon than epigeic species and cocoon production decreased at low temperature. Maintenance of temperature and moisture content is the critical step for vermicomposting. Growth and maturation of earthworms was best at 20–25°C temperature with 80–85% moisture content. Increase temperature upto 30°C accelerated growth rate of earthworms and lessened the time to sexual maturity. Earthworms can survive in the soil contaminated with heavy metals by accumulating heavy metals in their tissues.
{"title":"Environmental Influence of Soil toward Effective Vermicomposting","authors":"Jaswinder Singh, Sharanpreet Singh, A. Vig, ArvinderKaur","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.75127","url":null,"abstract":"Vermicomposting is a process by which the organic waste is converted into manure with the help of earthworms. Growth rate, onset of maturity (clitellum development), rate of reproduction (cocoon production) and population buildup of earthworm during vermicomposting have been depend upon the conditions like temperature, moisture and physico-chemical properties of the feed mixtures. Eisenia fetida was superior to other epigeic species and tolerate wide range of temperature, moisture and pH. Endogeic species produced lesser cocoon than epigeic species and cocoon production decreased at low temperature. Maintenance of temperature and moisture content is the critical step for vermicomposting. Growth and maturation of earthworms was best at 20–25°C temperature with 80–85% moisture content. Increase temperature upto 30°C accelerated growth rate of earthworms and lessened the time to sexual maturity. Earthworms can survive in the soil contaminated with heavy metals by accumulating heavy metals in their tissues.","PeriodicalId":222537,"journal":{"name":"Earthworms - The Ecological Engineers of Soil","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130024593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-04-03DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.76088
J. Domínguez
Vermicomposting, the conversion of organic waste into vermicompost, is mediated by the combined action of earthworms and microorganisms. This interesting and attrac tive alternative to regular composting turns organic waste into a substrate that can be used as a soil amendment and as a growing medium for use in horticulture. Soil is not required in vermicomposting as the organic matter acts as both the substrate and food, and therefore only epigeic earthworms can be used in the process. Several earthworm species have been evaluated for their potential use in vermicomposting, including Eisenia fetida (Savigny), Eisenia andrei (Bouché), Dendrobaena veneta (Rosa), Dendrobaena hortensis (Michaelsen) Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg), and Perionyx excavatus (Perrier). The species most commonly used in vermicomposting and vermiculture facilities worldwide are Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida . This chapter reviews and updates the controversy surrounding the taxonomic differentiation between E. andrei and E. fetida , and between D. veneta and D. hortensis , showing that these are all different species and emphasizing the importance of maintaining pure cultures in vermicomposting systems. In the final section, methods of cultivating epigeic earthworms to ensure high rates of growth and reproduction are described.
{"title":"Earthworms and Vermicomposting","authors":"J. Domínguez","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.76088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.76088","url":null,"abstract":"Vermicomposting, the conversion of organic waste into vermicompost, is mediated by the combined action of earthworms and microorganisms. This interesting and attrac tive alternative to regular composting turns organic waste into a substrate that can be used as a soil amendment and as a growing medium for use in horticulture. Soil is not required in vermicomposting as the organic matter acts as both the substrate and food, and therefore only epigeic earthworms can be used in the process. Several earthworm species have been evaluated for their potential use in vermicomposting, including Eisenia fetida (Savigny), Eisenia andrei (Bouché), Dendrobaena veneta (Rosa), Dendrobaena hortensis (Michaelsen) Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg), and Perionyx excavatus (Perrier). The species most commonly used in vermicomposting and vermiculture facilities worldwide are Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida . This chapter reviews and updates the controversy surrounding the taxonomic differentiation between E. andrei and E. fetida , and between D. veneta and D. hortensis , showing that these are all different species and emphasizing the importance of maintaining pure cultures in vermicomposting systems. In the final section, methods of cultivating epigeic earthworms to ensure high rates of growth and reproduction are described.","PeriodicalId":222537,"journal":{"name":"Earthworms - The Ecological Engineers of Soil","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125856289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-03-23DOI: 10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74211
J. A. Dionísio, W. Demetrio, Arlei Maceda
Soil invertebrate organisms are responsible for several biochemical processes indispens- able for the correct functioning of ecosystems. Because of the high diversity of animals that occurs in the soil environment, some invertebrates such as earthworms and nematodes are highly important in trophic chains, with high number of species and the effect that they exert on both natural and agricultural systems. However, although numerous studies have evaluated the implications of these organisms in soil processes and their conse-quences on crop productivity, the interaction between earthworms and nematodes has received little attention in recent years. This chapter reviews studies focusing on the elucidation of the interaction between earthworms and nematodes in diverse situations in which they occur, for example, the vermicompost process and the native and agricultural systems. Several studies have shown that the direct and/or indirect action of earth- worms can highly modify nematode populations. In addition, in the presence of earthworms, the damage caused by phytonematodes can be reduced in some crops.
{"title":"Earthworms and Nematodes: The Ecological and Functional Interactions","authors":"J. A. Dionísio, W. Demetrio, Arlei Maceda","doi":"10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5772/INTECHOPEN.74211","url":null,"abstract":"Soil invertebrate organisms are responsible for several biochemical processes indispens- able for the correct functioning of ecosystems. Because of the high diversity of animals that occurs in the soil environment, some invertebrates such as earthworms and nematodes are highly important in trophic chains, with high number of species and the effect that they exert on both natural and agricultural systems. However, although numerous studies have evaluated the implications of these organisms in soil processes and their conse-quences on crop productivity, the interaction between earthworms and nematodes has received little attention in recent years. This chapter reviews studies focusing on the elucidation of the interaction between earthworms and nematodes in diverse situations in which they occur, for example, the vermicompost process and the native and agricultural systems. Several studies have shown that the direct and/or indirect action of earth- worms can highly modify nematode populations. In addition, in the presence of earthworms, the damage caused by phytonematodes can be reduced in some crops.","PeriodicalId":222537,"journal":{"name":"Earthworms - The Ecological Engineers of Soil","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125663426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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