Exotic and native earthworms in various land use systems of Central, southern and Eastern Uruguay.
2006
GROSSO, E. | JORGE, G. | BROWN, G. G. | ENZO GROSSO, Universidad de la República, Iguá; GABRIELLA JORGE, Universidad de la República, Iguá; GEORGE GARDNER BROWN, CNPF.
From 1995 to 2001 we conducted several surveys of earthworm populations in 7 land use systems, of varying intensity of disturbance, in Central, Southern and Eastern Uruguay. We evaluated the presence and density of various earthworm genera and species in selected land use systems. Most species found were exotic, belonging to the Lumbricidae (6 species) and Megascolecidae (1 species) families. We found only two native species, one ocnerodrilid and one acanthodrilid. Lumbricids were generally in disturbed agroecosystems, although native species were also found in some disturbed sites. Eukerria sp. had a mean density of 196 ind./m2 in a rice field. The apple orchard, Eucalyptus sp. plantation and natural prairie showed maximum mean densities of 102 ind./m2, 733 ind./m2 and 317 ind./m2, respectively. Our results show the great adaptability of lumbricids to various levels of disturbance and suggest the possibility of a large incidence of exotic worm species in Uruguayan soils.
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