Exotic earthworm (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) assemblages on a landscape scale in central Canadian woodlands: Importance of region and vegetation type

• Autores: Choi, Amy; Sackett, Tara E.; Smith, Sandy M.; Bellocq, Maria Isabel
• Año de publicación: 2017
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: Earthworm Communities; Functional Groups; Invasive Species; Land Use; Lumbricidae
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

A growing understanding about the impacts of earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) on ecosystem processes and forest restoration necessitates an examination of their role in Canadian forests where they have become invasive. Little is known about the landscape-scale responses of earthworm populations to different regional characteristics and vegetation types within Canada’s central woodlands. We examined the regional variation of earthworm species richness, biomass, and assemblage composition across a range of four municipal regions (from south to north: Halton, Wellington, York, and Simcoe) and four habitat types (deciduous forest, mixed forest, tree plantation, and meadow) with varying soil characteristics in woodlands of south-central Ontario, Canada. In general, earthworm communities differed by region but not by habitat type. The most southern regions supported the highest earthworm species richness, biomass (i.e., Lumbricus and Octolasion), and density, and this was associated with a south-north gradient in soil characteristics. Assemblage composition differed by region but not by habitat type. The observed south-north gradient suggests an underlying effect of invasion spread associated with human settlement and density. Our results provide baseline information about earthworm communities in south-central Ontario forests and will enable managers to plan for the increasing role of earthworms in Canada’s future forests.
Fil: Choi, Amy. University of Toronto; Canadá
Fil: Sackett, Tara E.. University of Toronto; Canadá
Fil: Smith, Sandy M.. University of Toronto; Canadá
Fil: Bellocq, Maria Isabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentina