Global distribution of earthworm diversity

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 366; no. 6464; pp. 480 - 485
• Main Authors: Phillips, Helen, Guerra, Carlos A, Bartz, Marie L C, Briones, Maria J I, Brown, George, Crowther, Thomas W, Ferlian, Olga, Gongalsky, Konstantin B, van den Hoogen, Johan, Krebs, Julia, Orgiazzi, Alberto, Routh, Devin, Schwarz, Benjamin, Bach, Elizabeth M, Bennett, Joanne, Brose, Ulrich, Decaëns, Thibaud, König-Ries, Birgitta, Loreau, Michel, Mathieu, Jérôme, Mulder, Christian, van Der Putten, Wim H, Ramirez, Kelly S, Rillig, Matthias C, Russell, David, Rutgers, Michiel, Thakur, Madhav P, de Vries, Franciska, Wall, Diana, Wardle, David, Arai, Miwa, Ayuke, Fredrick, Baker, Geoff, Beauséjour, Robin, Bedano, José, Birkhofer, Klaus, Blanchart, Eric, Blossey, Bernd, Bolger, Thomas, Bradley, Robert, Callaham, Mac A., Capowiez, Yvan, Caulfield, Mark, Choi, Amy, Crotty, Felicity, Dávalos, Andrea, Cosin, Darío, Dominguez, Anahí, Duhour, Andrés Esteban, van Eekeren, Nick, Emmerling, Christoph, Falco, Liliana, Fernández, Rosa, Fonte, Steven, Fragoso, Carlos, Franco, André, Fugère, Martine, Fusilero, Abegail, Gholami, Shaieste, Gundale, Michael, López, Mónica Gutiérrez, Hackenberger, Davorka, Hernández, Luis, Hishi, Takuo, Holdsworth, Andrew, Holmstrup, Martin, Hopfensperger, Kristine, Lwanga, Esperanza Huerta, Huhta, Veikko, Hurisso, Tunsisa, Iannone, Basil, Iordache, Madalina, Joschko, Monika, Kaneko, Nobuhiro, Kanianska, Radoslava, Keith, Aidan, Kelly, Courtland, Kernecker, Maria, Klaminder, Jonatan, Koné, Armand, Kooch, Yahya, Kukkonen, Sanna, Lalthanzara, Hmar, Lammel, Daniel, Lebedev, Iurii, Li, Yiqing, Lidon, Juan, Lincoln, Noa, Loss, Scott, Marichal, Raphaël, Matula, Radim, Moos, Jan Hendrik, Moreno, Gerardo, Morón-Ríos, Alejandro, Muys, Bart, Neirynck, Johan, Norgrove, Lindsey, Novo, Marta, Nuutinen, Visa, Nuzzo, Victoria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 24.10.2019
• Subjects: Agricultural sciences; Biodiversity and Ecology; Ecology, environment; Ecosystems; Environmental Sciences; Life Sciences; Soil study
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aax4851

Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, distribution, and the threats affecting them. Here, we compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries to predict patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass. We identified that local species richness and abundance typically peaked at higher latitudes, patterns opposite to those observed in aboveground organisms. However, diversity across the entirety of the tropics may be higher than elsewhere, due to high species dissimilarity across locations. Climate variables were more important in shaping earthworm communities than soil properties or habitat cover. These findings suggest that climate change may have serious implications for earthworm communities and therefore the functions they provide.