Earthworm ecology in deciduous forests in central and southeast Europe

Abstract

Darwin’s studies (1881) on earthworm ecology concentrated on those species endemic to north and northwest Europe. These species, now described as peregrine, are those which repopulated the area after the withdrawal of the glacial ice sheets. In Wilcke’s classification (1953), they are ivided into two ecological groups: humus inhabiting forms (litter inhabiting, Zicsi, 1968) and mineral soil inhabiting forms. This classification indicates that the ignificance of lumbricids in a soil complex is determined by their species composition. In areas once affected by glaciation there are, with the exceptions of umbricus terrestris and Allolobophora longa, only small-bodied species of both ecological groups with more-or-Iess shallow burrows, and the significance of arthworm activity in all soils has been judged on the basis of these particular population compositions. Recently, the use of vermifuges in research into the ndigenous ranges of the Lumbricidae in Europe and Asia Minor, has revealed the occurrence of large-bodied, deep-burrowing species. These were either new o science or previously reported only sporadically but now show areas of continuous distribution.