Using Bioturbation Behaviour To Create New Functional Groups for Earthworms with The Biological Recording Company

Earthworm ecological categories (anecic, epigeic, endogeic) based on morphology are commonly used as proxies to describe their effects on soils without validation of their actual behaviour. The first and main effects of earthworms are physical, they are physical ecosystem engineers so it makes sense to use a system where groupings are based on the physical behaviour of earthworms. This presentation will delve into an experiment that investigated the burrowing, feeding and casting behaviour of 50 species of earthworm under laboratory conditions and proposed new functional groups of earthworms based on their bioturbation behaviour.

Yvan Capowiez is a researcher at INRAE (the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment in France). He specialises in earthworm ecology and the physical roles of earthworms in (agricultural) soils.

The 1-hour event will consist of a presentation followed by a Q&A with the tutor using questions provided by the live audience. The presentation will be recorded and made available through the entoLIVE blog alongside a write-up of the Q&A and any links to further info.

Book your place via Eventbrite.

entoLIVE is delivered by the Biological Recording Company, British Entomological & Natural History Society, Royal Entomological Society and Amateur Entomologists’ Society, with support from Buglife, Field Studies Council and NBN Trust.