Ecomorphological Groups of Earthworms Found in a Beech Wood in the Bieszczady National Park (South-Eastern Poland)

Joanna Kostecka,Agnieszka Podolak,Anna Mazur-Pączka

doi:10.12911/22998993/89649

Abstract

Ecomorphological Groups of Earthworms Found in a Beech Wood in the Bieszczady National Park (South-Eastern Poland)

Highlights

The Lumbricidae family includes about 3000 species [Sims and Gerard 1999], most commonly occurring in Europe and North America
The sites were selected within the fertile beech woods dominating the forest communities of the Bieszczady Mts (Zarzycki, 1963)
13 earthworms species were found at the investigated sites

Summary

Introduction

The Lumbricidae family includes about 3000 species [Sims and Gerard 1999], most commonly occurring in Europe and North America. The features of the delineated earthworm species and the soil levels they prefer allowed their affiliation with the ecological groups defined by Bouche (1972) to be confirmed or determined. Both of the above-mentioned species occur in the litter layer all year long, regardless of the environmental conditions, never moving deeper down in the soil (Fig. 1).

Results

Conclusion