Describes earthworm community ecology, interactions between earthworms and microorganisms and the importance of earthworms in environmental management

History of abiontic soil ensyme research; Origin and range of enzymes in soil; kinetics and consecutive reactions of soil enzymes; Soil polysaccharidases: activity and agricultural importance; Urease activity in soils; Soil phosphatase and sulphatase; Interactions between agrochemicals and soil enzymes; Enzyme activity in soil: some theoretical and practical considerations; Methodology of soil enzyme measurement and extraction.

This book is a concise and well-illustrated treatment of the conventional knowledge and modern utilities of earthworms. The first two chapters deal with earthworm morphology, food relationship, behavior, functional role, interaction with soil biota, and the influence of environmental factors. Earthworms found in the tropics and sub-tropics are also discussed in this section. The third chapter provides a good account of utilizing species of worms to produce high value manure through vermitechnology and its application in agriculture. The nutritional and medicinal values of earthworms are illustrated in the fourth chapter, while the fifth c provides information on how earthworms are used successfully as indicators of ecological perturbations, soil quality and for remediation of contaminated soils. The book will immensely benefit students, faculty and researchers in biological, agricultural and environmental sciences. It is also a source of information for anyone interested in knowing more about earthworms.

The Physiology of Earthworms focuses on the three species of earthworms — Liimbricus terrestris, Eisenta foetida, and Allolobophora longa. Other earthworms or oligochaetes such as the fresh-water species are briefly mentioned. The topics covered include the biochemical architecture; digestion and metabolism; calciferous glands; axial field; nitrogenous excretion; water relations; respiration; physiology of regeneration; neurosecretion; nervous system; and behavior of oligochaetes. This book is a good source of information for biology students and researchers conducting work on earthworms and its different species.

'Darwin cleared: official' This 1982 Times (7 January) head line of a first leader, reporting the astonishing case brought in Arkansas against compulsory teaching of a biblical account of creation, hopefully set at rest doubts about Darwin in the minds of a public confused by media presentations of such unfamiliar concepts as punctuated equilibria, cladism and phenetics. Mud sticks, but Darwin's perturbed ghost may have found some consolation in the concurrent celebrations at Grange-over-Sands, a modest township in Cumbria, UK, of the centenary of the publication of his less controversial book The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms. In the form of a symposium on earthworm ecology, this attracted some 150 participants, predominantly adrenalin-charged research workers in the full heat of peer-group interaction. This book comprises a selection of the more ecologically oriented papers contributed to the symposium, brutally edited in the interests of brevity and thematic continuity. The book opens with an appraisal of Darwin's earthworm work in its historical and philosophical context and relates his views on 'vegetable mould' to current concepts of humus formation. Thereafter, quotations from Darwin made out of piety have been rigorously excluded. Subsequent sections each comprise a review chapter and two or three 'case studies' presenting new data on a related topic.

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 earthworms’ innate immune system, molecular markers to address various issues of earthworm ecology, earthworm population dynamics, and the influences of organic farming systems and tillage. Further topics include the characteristics of vermicompost, relationships between soil earthworms and enzymes, the role of spermathecae, copulatory behavior, and adjustment of the donated sperm volume.

Earthworms are often recognized as key organisms in soil ecosystems. In Chapter One, the authors propose endozoochory (seed dispersal through ingestion) as a missing mechanism of Oligochaeta dispersal and put forward the fusion-orthogonalization model for the diversification and speciation of the Oligochaeta populations. Chapter Two discusses the biodiversity of earthworms in Madhya Pradesh, a central part of India. Earthworm diversity in some parts of India is still poorly explored, but findings suggest that the Madhya Pradesh region is rich in biodiversity of earthworms. In Chapter Three, a predation pressure is presented as an important variable which can be viewed as another type of pressure on the earthworm population, such as pollution, environmental stress or land management, causing additional or extrinsic mortality to earthworm population. Chapter Four covers the key role played by earthworms as ecosystem engineers through their bioturbation activities involving soil mixing, their influence on the decomposition and mineralization of litter by breaking down organic matter, and their influence on the gas and water exchange or nutrient transfer in the soil. Chapter Five reviews recent research regarding the assessment of various pollutants on earthworms with emphasis on the possible improvement of the investigation in soil pollution monitoring using these organisms.

'I thought I knew quite a bit about earthworms – until I picked up this charming little book' Nick Baker 'Many wonderful wormy tales unearthed by Coulthard' BBC Countryfile Magazine 'A gem of a book' Country Smallholding Without these little engineers of the earth, the world's soils would be barren, and our gardens and fields wouldn't be able to grow the food we need to survive. Worms recycle decaying plants, putting nutrients back into the soil; they provide a food source for wildlife; and their constant burrowing helps heavy rain soak away. Sally Coulthard's fascianting guide offers a wealth of information and practical advice about the world's msot industrious but little understood creature.

Exploring the dramatic growth and changes in the field of vermicomposting since 1988, this comprehensive review assesses the advancements made in government-funded projects in the U.S. and UK. It discusses outdoor and indoor windrows, container systems, wedge systems, and low labor-requirements. It also examines fully-automated continuous flow vermicomposting reactor systems that can process more than 1000 tons of organic wastes per reactor. The book highlights the science and biology behind the use and efficacy of vermicomposting and details the technology of the past, present, and future.