Abstract
This work relates data from field sampling of Eisenia lucens and from laboratory-based culture. Field sampling used soil sorting and vermifuge extraction and took place in beech-dominated forests of southwest Poland. Initial work derived population estimates from four sub-communities of the forest looking for seasonal dynamics and later work employed targeted sampling in summer within rotting wood to obtain live specimens for laboratory culture. A preliminary examination within and below rotten wood during winter was also undertaken. In the laboratory, clitellate earthworms were kept at 20 °C, the substrate changed every 6 months, and the population examined. Cocoons were incubated individually at 15 °C, with number of hatchlings per cocoon and the mass of each determined. Hatchlings were grown at 15 °C in field-collected wood and compared with growth in a 1:1 volume ratio of wood and horse manure. Further hatchlings were fed with horse manure only (at 10 °C) and after 19 weeks, half were transferred to 15 °C. In the field, mature individuals varied significantly (p < 0.01) in biomass between 2 sampling sites where found, with an overall mean density across sites of 4.14 ± 3.53 m−2 with a mean biomass of 2.21 ± 1.93 g m−2. Numbers in soil varied over the sampling period, with a suggestion that this species moves from mineral soil to organic-rich dead wood as conditions permit. In summer, all life stages were recovered from rotting wood above the mineral soil. Sampling in winter found cocoons in rotting wood below snow. These hatched rapidly (within 2 weeks) when taken to the laboratory. Laboratory culture allowed maintenance of a population for 2 years. Mean cocoon mass was 50.6 mg with a mean of 2.9 hatchlings per cocoon and hatchling mass was inversely proportional to number per cocoon. Growth with 50% horse manure was significantly greater (p < 0.001) than with wood. Increased temperature from 10 to 15 °C brought more significantly (p < 0.05) rapid growth. To culture this species through its life cycle, a natural substrate is needed, but then it is necessary to acclimate the animals to something more easily obtainable. More work is needed from field sampling to fully understand the seasonal dynamics of this species, which utilises different parts of the soil profile throughout the year.
Highlights
Responsible editor: Chris LoweEisenia lucens (Waga 1857) is a Lumbricidae earthworm, having a specific body colour characterized by alternating dark red-brown and lighter off-yellow bands along the full length of its body
E. lucens was one of 13 earthworm species found within the Bieszczady National Park (BNP) across the four field sites sampled using Zajonc’s methodology and was only present at 2 of the sites investigated where it comprised 1.1 and 4.4% of total numbers of earthworms found in the soil
Further sustained work would usefully examine what happens to E. lucens and co-occurring earthworms during the winter months in forest soils, when detailed field sampling has not been undertaken due to deep snow and restricted access. Are these earthworms deep in the soil, as seen for adults of other species, such as Lumbricus terrestris and Aporrectodea caliginosa in agro-ecosystems when temperatures fall (Nuutinen and Butt 2009), or possibly coiled in frozen layers? In addition, which life stages can persist within the upper soil layers or in rotten wood over winter? Our preliminary observations suggest that juveniles and cocoons can overwinter in dead wood at the soil surface
Summary
Eisenia lucens (Waga 1857) is a Lumbricidae earthworm, having a specific body colour characterized by alternating dark red-brown and lighter off-yellow bands along the full length of its body This species has a relatively narrow geographical range in Central and Eastern Europe, typically inhabiting montane forest habitats of the Carpathian Mountains (Szederjesi et al 2018). Unpublished data (Kostecka 1988), from beech-dominated sites at 700–950 m elevation in the Bieszczady Mountains (Poland), showed that this species inhabits the mineral soil at specific times of the year. This field data is presented along with a preliminary investigation undertaken when snow was lying in the mountain forests (January 2019). Similar work has been undertaken with Allolobophora carpathica and with Dendrobaena alpina (Kostecka and Butt 2001, 2015) obtained from the same geographical location
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