earthworms gaia's best friends
DESCRIPTION
Earthworm biodiversity and activities faced to Glabal changeTRANSCRIPT
GAIA
Hipotesis : EARTH is a super organism able to perform homeostasis
Cell
Tissue
Órgan
Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Landscape
Biome
Biosphere
The highest level of organisation of life
Ecosphere = GAIA
Organite
Life on Earth
• Regulates atmospheric composition
• Regulates temperature
• Renew old soils
CO2: 350ppmO2 : 21%T° : 13°C
CO2: 96%O2 : tracesT° : 350°C
LIVING EARTH NO LIFE
Accumulates C in skeleton(CaCO3)
Skeletons accumulatein sediments
Decrease in CO2;Accumulation of 02Decreased pressure
ATMOSPHERICREGULATION
Sediment weight moves continental platesVolcanism
Material for new soil formation
Marine plancton
SOIL
What we owe to plancton!!
Earthworms and GAIA
José Miguel Flores
Earthworms said to have appeared on EARTH500M years ago
They have experienced considerable changes in climate conditions
… different vegetations and organic input qualities…
ANGIOSPERM
GYMNOSPERM
PTERIDOPHYTES
Earthworms have evolved and diversified
EPIGEIC
ANECIC
ENDOGEICS
Source: Bouché, 1977; Lavelle , 1983; Lavelle et al., 1998
Earthworm communities at Lamto (Ivory Coast)
The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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The Lamto earthworm community0
10
20
30
40
1. Millsonia lamtoiana (anecic)
2. Dichogaster baeri (epigeic)
3. Dichogaster agilis (epigeic)
4. Millsonia anomala(mesohumic)
5. Chuniodrilus zielae6. Stuhlmannia porifera (polyhumic)
7. Dichogaster terrae nigrae (oligohumic
8. Millsonia ghanensis (oligohumic
9. Agastrodrilus opisthogynus (carnivorous)
10. Agastrodrilus multivesiculatus(oligohumic+11. Dichogaster baeri12. Dichogaster bolaui13. Eudrilus eugeniae14. Hyperiàdrilus africanus15. Chuniodrilus vuattouxi16. Chuniodrilus palustris
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Ingest 800-1250 Mg soil per ha per year
after Lavelle et al., 2004, in D.Wall (ed)Lavelle et al., 2006 Eur.J Soil Biol..
Soil Physicalstructure
ActivationSelection
Water Infiltration+ storage
SOM dynamics
Nutr CyclingClimate Reg.
EWMPop
EWMComm
Drilosphere in a self organized SOIL
« En el suelo quedaron unos
turriculos, fieles testigos de una vida de
trabajo »Lavelle & Fragoso
Casts and galleries……
……. As homologous to plancton skeletons ???
SOM dynamics
Nutrient cycling
C sequestration
Aggregatedstructures
BIODIVERSITY
HYDRICSERVICES CASTS
CLIMATEREGULATION
Plant protection
PRIMARYPRODUCTION
Habitats
InfiltrationWater storage
In the long term, earthworms conserve C in soilYurimaguas 6 yr experiment
Source : Pashanasi et al., 1996; Lavelle and Spain, 2001
Earthworm energy budget at Lamto:a precarious balance
A=9%
NA=91%
R=95%A
Pc=95%P
R=5%P
Source: Lavelle, 1978
P/I = 0.045% energy mostly spent in mechanical activities
Primary forest in MadagascarHIGEST SENSITIVITY OF SOILS TO EROSION
What Earthworms do : Hydraulic Engineers
in Madagascar
Upper humic horizon with high root density (1km
per m²)
Absorbs 20-100 mm rain
In the A1 horizon, giant worms build networks of galleries that allow drainage
Erosion
Deforestation and removal of surface horizons trigger a catastrophic process of erosion
Water flow
Road built for illegal timber exploitaion
B prismatic horizon
Massive soil erosionlavakas
Earthworms have a « green thumb »
Plants: Earthworms have a « green hand »
(Blouin et al…)
• Nutrient release in the rhizosphere
• Hormone like effects (gene expression)
• Stimulation of mutualistic microflora
• Hydric services
+ ++-
+ PONTOSCOLEX
Sources: Pashanasi et al., 1996; Blouin et al., 2006; Brown et al., 1999; Scheu et al., 2003
NO Worm
Earthworms in the anthropocene(Paul Crutzen, Nobel price)
Servicios Ecosistemicos UNALPalmira 2010
GAIA is sick!!!
U.S
. Bu
rea
u o
f the
Ce
ns
us
NOAA
NASA
Ma
ck
en
zie e
t al (2
00
2)
Ric
ha
rds
(19
91
), WR
I (19
90
)
Go
lde
wijk
an
d B
attje
s (1
99
7)
IPCC
FAO
Servicios Ecosistemicos UNALPalmira 2010
GAIA has fever +0.8°C
Servicios Ecosistemicos UNALPalmira 2010
Infections Green algae in Bretagne
Servicios Ecosistemicos UNALPalmira 2010
Skin diseasesDeforestation in Amazonia
Disappearance of many species, especially large earthworms
AMAZ projectlandscape intensification
Fig.2. Study sites
ABCD
Landscape intensification in Eastern Amazonia
LargeWorms> 15 cm
Source: Marichal et al., ISEE 9
Why?Demographic constraints
Habitat requirements
F=3.1Ad:12
F=10.7Ad=6
F= 6.2Ad=10
F= 13.0Ad=8
F= 1.9Ad=14
F= 1.3Ad=30
F= 1.3Ad=14
Demography
Size
Pontoscolex
Large worms
Exceptional rates of endemismin earthworms
% regional pool
Lavelle, P. and E. Lapied (2004). Pedobiologia. 47: 419-427.
EWM
..and very high rates of cryptic speciation
Source: Novo et al., 2008, Zoologica scripta, 38, 5.
7 localities, 82 ind
at least 4 species of Hormogaster elisae
Hormogaster elisae
,38 haplotypes
Invasives!!!!
• Formerly called Peregrine !!! (Lee, 1987)
• European Lumbricidae (the ones that recolonized land after glaciations)
• A few tropical generalists with high demographic profiles
C. Fragoso
A. caliginosa
P. corethrurus
High density ofPontoscolex corethrurus
Other decompactorsdepleted
Intense earthworm activityin the upper 10 cm of soil
Chauvel et al., 1999; Nature
Continuous crustof compact earthworm casts
6 t C mineralised
Forest soil exposed tothe community of the pasturewas compacted in one year
Source: Barros et al., 2001, Geoderma
Compacted soil exposedto the diverse fauna of the Primary forest recoveredOriginal conditions in one year
European Lumbricidae in Northern Minnesota
http://www.nrri.umn.edu/worms/forest/plants.html
BEFORE AFTER
“But I thought earthworms were good for plants !”
In the Amazonian arc of deforestation
Pontoscolex corethrurus occupies a newly formed niche that natives are unable to use
Invasion of Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae, Oligochaeta) in landscapes of the Amazonian deforestation arc
Marichal R1,3, Feijoo Martinez A2, Praxedes C3, Ruiz D2, Carvajal A F 2, Oszwald J4, Hurtado M P5, Brown G G6, Grimaldi M1,8, Desjardins T1, Sarrazin M1, Decaëns T7 , Velasquez Eç, and Lavelle P1,5
See Raphaël Marichal’s poster
Earthworms still do a lot inanthropised systems
Soil aggregation and GISQ improved in a gradient of landscape intensification in the Amazonian arc of deforestation
PontoscolexIs there
Aggregation
LANDSCAPE INTENSIFICATION
The GAIA theoryPontoscolex was there
Not here
Peregrines as bandages on GAIAS’s wounds???
Bixa orelana
Source: Pashanasi et al. 1996
Speciation is surely at hand
If H. elisae has 3-7 species
how many species in Pontoscolex corethrurus
or A. caliginosa??
Photo: C. Fragoso
Conclusions
• Earthworms have a profound, still not evaluated, role in GAIAS’s homeostasis
EVALUATE AT APPROPRIATE SCALES
• Many species will disappear during the AnthropoceneCrisis:
NEED FOR SPECIFIC CONSERVATION SCHEMES
• Peregrines with very special adaptive strategies act as bandages on Gaia’s wounds:
USE IN RESTORATION AND CONSTRUCTIONOF ECOEFFICIENT LANDSCAPES?
Special to:
Isabelle y CarlosJose Miguel FloresAna CaleroRaphaël MarichalElena Velasquez…….
Many Thanks
Drilosphere: the earthworm functional domain
Earthworms
Microflora Soil fauna
Macro aggregates
GalleriesMacropores
PLANTSGrowth; Protection
Communities
ORGANIC MATTERDynamics; Accumulation
++
+
WATERInfiltration; Storage
DRILOSPHERE
The mutualist digestion system(sleeping Beauty paradoxe)
Source : Barois and Lavelle, 1986
Mucus (10%) and water (100%)Mixing
Digestion ofMO in the median part of the gut