Author: Ayten Karaca
Publisher: Springer
Keywords: biology, soil, earthworms
Number of Pages: 330
Published: 2010-11-11
List price: $209.00
ISBN-10: 364214635X
ISBN-13: 9783642146350

Earthworms, which belong to the order Oligochaeta, comprise roughly 3,000 species grouped into five families. Earthworms have been called ‘ecosystem engineers’; much like human engineers, they change the structure of their environments. Earthworms are very versatile and are found in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems. They play an important role in forest and agricultural ecosystems. This Soil Biology volume describes the various facets of earthworms, such as their role in soil improvement, soil structure, and the biocontrol of soil-borne plant fungal diseases. Reviews discuss earthwormsâ€