Nuutinen Visa, Briones Maria J I, Schrader Stefan, Dekemati Igor, Grujić Nikola, Hyvönen Juha, Ivask Mari, Lassen Simon Bo, Lloret Eva, Ollio Irene, Pérez-Rodríguez Paula, Simon Barbara, Sutri Merit, de Sutter Nancy, Brandt Kristian K, Peltoniemi Krista, Shanskiy Merrit, Waeyenberge Lieven, Martínez-Martínez Silvia, Fernández-Calviño David
Soil Ecosystems, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Jokioinen, Finland.
Departamento de Ecología y Biología Animal, Universidade de Vigo, Vigo, Spain.
Ecol Appl. 2025 Jan;35(1):e3066. doi: 10.1002/eap.3066. Epub 2024 Nov 25.
Earthworms are a key faunal group in agricultural soils, but little is known on how farming systems affect their communities across wide climatic gradients and how farming system choice might mediate earthworms' exposure to climate conditions. Here, we studied arable soil earthworm communities on wheat fields across a European climatic gradient, covering nine pedo-climatic zones, from Mediterranean to Boreal (S to N) and from Lusitanian to Pannonian (W to E). In each zone, 20-25 wheat fields under conventional or organic farming were sampled. Community metrics (total abundance, fresh mass, and species richness and composition) were combined with data on climate conditions, soil properties, and field management and analyzed with mixed models. There were no statistically discernible differences between organic and conventional farming for any of the community metrics. The effects of refined arable management factors were also not detected, except for an elevated proportion of subsurface-feeding earthworms when crop residues were incorporated. Soil properties were not significantly associated with earthworm community variations, which in the case of soil texture was likely due to low variation in the data. Pedo-climatic zone was an overridingly important factor in explaining the variation in community metrics. The Boreal zone had the highest mean total abundance (179 individuals m) and fresh mass (86 g m) of earthworms while the southernmost Mediterranean zones had the lowest metrics (<1 individual m and <1 g m). Within each field, species richness was low across the zones, with the highest values being recorded at the Nemoral and North Atlantic zones (mean of 2-3 species per field) and declining from there toward north and south. No litter-dwelling species were found in the southernmost, Mediterranean zones. These regional trends were discernibly related to climate, with the community metrics declining with the increasing mean annual temperature. The current continent-wide warming of Europe and related increase of severe and rapid onsetting droughts will likely deteriorate the living conditions of earthworms, particularly in southern Europe. The lack of interaction between the pedo-climatic zone and the farming system in our data for any of the earthworm community metrics may indicate limited opportunities for alleviating the negative effects of a warming climate in cereal field soils of Europe.
蚯蚓是农业土壤中的关键动物类群，但对于不同耕作系统如何在广泛的气候梯度上影响其群落，以及耕作系统的选择如何影响蚯蚓暴露于气候条件下，我们所知甚少。在此，我们研究了欧洲气候梯度上麦田中的耕层土壤蚯蚓群落，涵盖了九个土壤气候区，从地中海地区到北方地区（从南到北），以及从卢西塔尼亚地区到潘诺尼亚地区（从西到东）。在每个区域，对20 - 25块采用传统或有机耕作方式的麦田进行了采样。将群落指标（总丰度、鲜质量、物种丰富度和组成）与气候条件、土壤性质和田间管理数据相结合，并使用混合模型进行分析。对于任何群落指标，有机耕作和传统耕作之间均未发现统计学上可辨别的差异。除了在作物残茬混入时，地下取食蚯蚓的比例有所增加外，也未检测到精细耕作管理因素的影响。土壤性质与蚯蚓群落变化没有显著关联，就土壤质地而言，这可能是由于数据变化较小。土壤气候区是解释群落指标变化的最重要因素。北方地区蚯蚓的平均总丰度最高（179只/m²）和鲜质量最高（86 g/m²），而最南端的地中海地区指标最低（<1只/m²和<1 g/m²）。在每个田间，各区域的物种丰富度都较低，最高值出现在温带和北大西洋地区（平均每个田间2 - 3种），并从那里向南北两端递减。在最南端的地中海地区未发现栖息于凋落物中的物种。这些区域趋势明显与气候相关，群落指标随着年平均温度的升高而下降。当前欧洲大陆范围内的气候变暖以及相关的严重和快速发生的干旱增加，可能会使蚯蚓的生存条件恶化，尤其是在南欧。在我们的数据中，对于任何蚯蚓群落指标，土壤气候区和耕作系统之间缺乏相互作用，这可能表明在欧洲谷类作物田间土壤中，缓解气候变暖负面影响的机会有限。
