Thompson Lindsey, Thomas Chris D, Radley Julie M A, Williamson Sarah, Lawton John H
NERC Centre for Population Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, SL5 7PY, Ascot, Berks, UK.
Oecologia. 1993 Aug;95(2):171-178. doi: 10.1007/BF00323487.
Snails and earthworms affected the dynamics of a simple, three-species plant community, in the Ecotron controlled environment facility. Earthworms enhanced the establishment, growth and cover of the legume Trifolium dubium, both via the soil and interactions with other plant species. Worms increased soil phosphates, increased root nodulation in T. dubium, and enabled T. dubium seedlings to establish in the presence of grass (Poa annua) litter, by increasing soil heterogeneity. Worms also buried the seeds of Poa annua and Senecio vulgaris, reducing the germination of new seedlings. Snails reduced nitrogen-fixing Trifolium dubium and increased cover of plant litter, thereby reducing ammonia-nitrogen concentrations in the soil. These effects and their interactions demonstrate that the detritivore food chain, and earthworms in particular, cannot be ignored if we are to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of plant communities.
在生态otron控制环境设施中，蜗牛和蚯蚓影响了一个简单的三物种植物群落的动态。蚯蚓通过土壤以及与其他植物物种的相互作用，促进了豆科植物白三叶草的定植、生长和覆盖。蚯蚓增加了土壤中的磷酸盐含量，增加了白三叶草的根瘤形成，并通过增加土壤异质性，使白三叶草幼苗能够在有一年生早熟禾凋落物的情况下定植。蚯蚓还掩埋了一年生早熟禾和普通千里光的种子，减少了新幼苗的萌发。蜗牛减少了固氮的白三叶草，并增加了植物凋落物的覆盖，从而降低了土壤中的氨氮浓度。这些影响及其相互作用表明，如果我们要理解植物群落的时空动态，那么碎屑食物链，尤其是蚯蚓，是不能被忽视的。
