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Earthworm population dynamics in three different land use systems along an altitudinal gradient (208–2609 m asl) in Kumaun Himalayas, India

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Abstract

Earthworm population density has been little studied in Kumaun Himalayas in different land use systems collectively. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of different land use systems along an altitudinal gradient on earthworm population density in Kumaun Himalayas. Earthworms were sampled in seven different sites from three different land use systems (cultivated, agro-forest and forest systems) in every season (summer, rainy and winter) from two different monoliths (0–15 and 16–30 cm) and were sorted on the basis of their age-structure (clitellates and aclitellates) from May 2015–April 2017. Eight species of earthworms were recorded from the studied sites belonging to two different families—Megascolicidae and Lumbricidae. Earthworm population density varied significantly among land use system; they were recorded highest in forest system i.e. 47% (Nainital—2544 ind. m−2); intermediate in the agro-forest system i.e. 37% (Jeolikot—1102 ind. m−2); lowest in the cultivated system i.e. 20% (Kiccha—890 ind. m−2). Their density tended to be higher in the rainy season and more concentrated (95.19% of total earthworms) on the upper monolith (16–30 cm) irrespective of the land use. The age structure of earthworms indicated that clitellates were more abundant than aclitellates (1:0.8) for all three land use systems. A significant positive correlation was observed between the earthworm population density with soil pH (r = 0.711; P < 0.05), soil C (r = 0.784; P < 0.05) and soil N (r = 0.783; P < 0.05). One way ANOVA results showed that monolith (F = 261.99; P < 0.001), sites (F = 7.28; P < 0.001) and seasons (F = 11.8; P < 0.001) has significant effect on earthworm population density. The results obtained suggested that the absence of anthropic factors in the forest system has led to the higher earthworm population density as compared to the agro-forest and cultivated systems in Kumaun Himalayas along with the altitude.

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Fig. 1
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Abbreviations

m asl:

Meter above sea level

ind. m−2 :

Individuals per meter square

%:

Percentage

°C:

Degree Celsius

C:

Carbon

N:

Nitrogen

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Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to Dr. J. M. Julka former Deputy Director, Zoological Survey of India, Solan Himachal Pradesh for identifying the earthworms. First author is thankful to the Department of Science and Technology of India (DST) New Delhi for providing the funds for this research through DST-INSPIRE vide letter no. DST/INSPIRE Fellowship/2014/IF140377. We also thank the anonymous referees for critical evaluation of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, 263002, India

    Neha Rajwar, Vinay Singh & Satpal Singh Bisht

  2. Department of Statistics, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, 263002, India

    Sparsh Bhatt

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  1. Neha Rajwar
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  2. Vinay Singh
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  3. Sparsh Bhatt
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  4. Satpal Singh Bisht
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Correspondence to Neha Rajwar.

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Rajwar, N., Singh, V., Bhatt, S. et al. Earthworm population dynamics in three different land use systems along an altitudinal gradient (208–2609 m asl) in Kumaun Himalayas, India. Trop Ecol 63, 134–140 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00178-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00178-x

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