Soil organisms drive major ecosystem functions by mineralising carbon and releasing
nutrients during decomposition processes, which supports plant growth, aboveground …

Current knowledge of earthworm feeding ecology is reviewed, with particular reference to
food selection, ingestion, digestion and assimilation, and the use of novel techniques to …

The soil environment is likely the most complex biological community. Soil organisms are
extremely diverse and contribute to a wide range of ecosystem services that are essential to …

Despite the major importance of soil biota in nutrient and energy fluxes, interactions in soil
food webs are poorly understood. Here we provide an overview of recent advances in …

Collembola are among the most abundant, diverse and functionally important groups of soil
animals. Collembolans inhabit different litter and soil layers and their food objects are …

In soil a high number of species co-exist without extensive niche differentiation, which was
assigned as 'the enigma of soil animal species diversity'. In particular, the detritivores are …

Earthworms and microorganisms are interdependent and their interactions regulate the
biogeochemistry of terrestrial soils. Investigating earthworm–microorganism interactions, we …

The development of stable isotope techniques is one of the main methodological advances
in ecology of the last decades of the 20th century. Many biogeochemical processes are …

Earthworm activity can strongly influence soil structure and organic matter (OM) dynamics of
agricultural soils. Several short-term studies (≤ 90 days) have shown that earthworms can …

A recent review concluded that earthworm presence increases CO2 emissions by 33% but
does not affect soil organic carbon stocks. However, the findings are controversial and raise …