Involvement of Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta) in soil structure evolution in agricultural fields

Summary The effects of enchytraeid activity on soil structure were recorded in a field study on population dynamics in agro-ecosystems and in a field experiment, using artificially compounded soil cores. It was established that 21–35% of the enchytraeid population contained mineral grains. The estimated transport of mineral material in the upper 0.4 m amounted to 0.001–0.01% of the bulk soil per year. In experimental cores with enchytraeids present, the air permeability, volume of pores in the size class corresponding to the enchytraeid body width, and the proportion of aggregates corresponding to the size of their fecal pellets were higher than in cores without enchytraeids.Dedicated to the late Prof. Dr. W. Kühnelt Communication no. 15 of the Dutch programme on soil ecology of arable farming systems