Abstract
Hydrological routes exist through active burrowing of soil fauna, and in numbers improve soil drainage systems. Earthworms are of particular interest because their presence is known widely to increase infiltration and reduce erosion rates by creating macropores and stable casts. Ideally during non-extreme rainfall events on flatlands, earthworm macropores lengthens the time prior to soil surface saturation thus slowing down occasions of overland flow resulting in runoff. Hypothesizing similar effects on hillslopes with gradients can be misleading whereas laboratory experiments which try to recreate and simulate field consistency cannot match the natural soil architecture which is vital in the dissection of the many bio-geophysical processes involved in the rainfall-runoff process. This review paper aims to summarize past studies conducted around the world and highlighting possible gaps on earthworm’s studies related to hillslopes and erosion.
Highlights
Soil erosion negatively affects public health and the environment (Pimentel, 2006)
Earthworm casts have greater impact on ecosystem functioning than abundance/ biomass/ diversity
Disturbance to area causes reduction to earthworm population sparking a chain of events namely increase of runoff, erosion, fine litter downward
Summary
Soil erosion negatively affects public health and the environment (Pimentel, 2006). Earthworms can contribute to improving soil health and quality because their burrows, ingesting of soil or cast production can activate dormant or improve microbial biomass and bacterial diversity (Lavelle et al, 2007; Chhotorray et al, 2011 and van Schaik et al, 2014). Their activity encourages water preferential flow paths that can reduce surface runoff and increase infiltration (Shipitalo and Le Bayon, 2004)
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