These categories can be difficult to establish and some species cannot be accurately assigned to any of them. Earthworms have thus been classified on the basis of their feeding habits and the part of the soil profile that they inhabit into three main ecological categories: epigeic, anecic, and endogeic. Different species of earthworms have different life strategies and occupy different ecological niches. For the vast majority of these, only the name and morphology are known, and nothing is known about their biology and ecology. However, earthworms constitute a highly diverse group of burrowing annelids, including more than 6000 extant species. They play a key role in modifying soil structure and accelerating the decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling, ultimately shaping the structure and composition of the aboveground plant community.Įarthworms have a burrowing lifestyle and simple body structure, leading to the commonly held belief that there is only one type of this not very pretty soil creature. These invertebrates constitute the largest animal biomass in most temperate ecosystems, where they strongly influence the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil. In the final section, methods of cultivating epigeic earthworms to ensure high rates of growth and reproduction are described.Įarthworms (Crassiclitellata) are terrestrial oligochaetes that usually live in the soil. hortensis, showing that these are all different species and emphasizing the importance of maintaining pure cultures in vermicomposting systems.

This chapter reviews and updates the controversy surrounding the taxonomic differentiation between E. The species most commonly used in vermicomposting and vermiculture facilities worldwide are Eisenia andrei and Eisenia fetida.

Several earthworm species have been evaluated for their potential use in vermicomposting, including Eisenia fetida (Savigny), Eisenia andrei (Bouché), Dendrobaena veneta (Rosa), Dendrobaena hortensis (Michaelsen) Eudrilus eugeniae (Kinberg), and Perionyx excavatus (Perrier). Soil is not required in vermicomposting as the organic matter acts as both the substrate and food, and therefore only epigeic earthworms can be used in the process. This interesting and attractive alternative to regular composting turns organic waste into a substrate that can be used as a soil amendment and as a growing medium for use in horticulture. Vermicomposting, the conversion of organic waste into vermicompost, is mediated by the combined action of earthworms and microorganisms.

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