Abstract
Earthworms are ecosystem engineers and their effects on soil carbon (C) dynamics in forest ecosystems are important for understanding how forest soils can act as C sinks or sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Earthworms decompose the organic layer of forest soils and deliver plant-derived C into deeper soil layers. They release CO2 but can also stabilize C by creating protected aggregates of C. There is a lack of consensus on whether earthworms mineralize or stabilize a greater amount of C. Research on how earthworms impact C dynamics in forests is limited and there is a need for additional studies.
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