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Earthworms of tropical regions — some aspects of their ecology and relationships with soils

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Earthworm Ecology

Abstract

In tropical and temperate regions alike earthworms are among the most widespread of invertebrate animals and are found mainly in the soils of forests, oodlands, shrublands and grasslands, which together cover ca. 80 million km2, or ca. 4%of the land surface of the earth (Whittaker and Likens, 1973). Their principal effects on soils, as recognized by Darwin (1881), result from their ingestion of rganic detritus and soil, partial digestion of the organic detritus, deposition of casts at or beneath the surface, and the construction of burrows in the oil.

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Authors
  1. K. E. Lee
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, UK

    J. E. Satchell

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© 1983 Chapman and Hall Ltd

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Lee, K.E. (1983). Earthworms of tropical regions — some aspects of their ecology and relationships with soils. In: Satchell, J.E. (eds) Earthworm Ecology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5965-1_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5965-1_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-009-5967-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5965-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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