Assessment of burrow re-use by Lumbricus terrestris L. through field experimentation

Grigoropoulou, Niki and Butt, Kevin Richard orcid iconORCID: 0000-0003-0886-7795 (2012) Assessment of burrow re-use by Lumbricus terrestris L. through field experimentation. Zeszyty Naukowe, 15 . pp. 43-51. ISSN 1642-3828

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Official URL: http://www2.univ.rzeszow.pl/wbr/zeszyty/en/index.h...

Abstract

An 11 month field experiment was set out to investigate evidence of burrow re-use by
Lumbricus terrestris. This was established in a temperate, broadleaved woodland and involved
removal of adult L. terrestris from 12, 1 m2 plots, with subsequent monitoring of re-colonisation.
The spatial distribution and duration of L. terrestris middens was examined statistically. These
observations suggest that L. terrestris burrows could be recycled or inherited. Such behaviour
could be a means of minimising energy expenditure for burrow construction or due to a
preference for a more favourable microenvironment in the drilosphere. Although evidence of
burrow re-use is presented, the limitations of the experimental work are noted.


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