Distribution, Diversity, and Ecological Traits of Earthworms in Different Habitats: Implications for Conservation and Management Practices

The present study investigated the distribution and diversity of earthworms in five different habitats, comprising grassland, agricultural fields, forests, wetlands, and plant-associated soil in Jammu region, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The study analyzed various environmental factors to understand their influence on the abundance and diversity of earthworms, which notably observed silty clay loam texture for forest, grasslands, and plant-associated habitat sites, whereas silt loam and silty clay were characteristic of wetland habitat and agricultural fields, respectively. The soil pH and organic carbon were highest in plant-associated soil and lowest observed in wetland habitat site. The agricultural field recorded the highest percentage of available nitrogen and the lowest observed in wetland. The findings revealed the distribution of 36 different types of genus/species across all habitats in which grassland habitats exhibited the highest abundance of earthworms, with 258 numbers followed by agricultural fields with 255, forests with 137, wetlands with 75, and plant-associated habitats with 72. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that all the earthworm species were significantly influenced by specific environmental factors in their respective habitats. However, in environments like agricultural fields and grasslands, soil parameters had minimal impact on species abundance. The study also identified the dominance of different ecological traits across habitats, highlighting the importance of morphometric traits in understanding the ecological function of earthworms in different habitats. Overall, the results could have practical implications for conservation and management practices in these ecosystems, providing insights into the distribution and diversity of earthworms in different habitats and their relationship with environmental factors.