德国综合生物多样性研究中心 Erin K. Cameron和Nico Eisenhauer研究组合作探究了蚯蚓多样性的全球分布。 该项研究成果发表在10月25日出版的《科学》杂志上。

研究人员收集了来自57个国家/地区的6928个地点蚯蚓群落的全球数据集，作为预测蚯蚓多样性、丰度和生物量模式的基础。研究人员发现，蚯物种的丰富度和丰度通常在较高的纬度达到峰值，这显示出与地上生物相反的模式。 然而，热带地区物种的高度异质性可能导致整个热带地区的多样性高于其他地区。

先前的研究发现，气候变化在塑造蚯蚓群落方面比土壤性质或栖息地覆盖更为重要。这些发现表明，气候变化可能会对蚯蚓群落及其功能产生严重的影响。

据介绍，包括蚯蚓在内的土壤生物是陆地生态系统的关键组成部分。但是，关于它们的多样性、分布以及影响它们的威胁因素知之甚少。

附：英文原文

Title: Global distribution of earthworm diversity

Author: Helen R. P. Phillips, Carlos A. Guerra, Marie L. C. Bartz, Maria J. I. Briones, George Brown, Thomas W. Crowther, Olga Ferlian, Konstantin B. Gongalsky, Johan van den Hoogen, Julia Krebs, Alberto Orgiazzi, Devin Routh, Benjamin Schwarz, Elizabeth M. Bach, Joanne Bennett, Ulrich Brose, Thibaud Decans, Birgitta Knig-Ries, Michel Loreau, Jérme Mathieu, Christian Mulder, Wim H. van der Putten, Kelly S. Ramirez, Matthias C. Rillig, David Russell, Michiel Rutgers, Madhav P. Thakur, Franciska T. de Vries, Diana H. Wall, David A. Wardle, Miwa Arai, Fredrick O. Ayuke, Geoff H. Baker, Robin Beauséjour, José C. Bedano, Klaus Birkhofer, Eric Blanchart, Bernd Blossey, Thomas Bolger, Robert L. Bradley, Mac A. Callaham, Yvan Capowiez, Mark E. Caulfield, Amy Choi, Felicity V. Crotty, Andrea Dávalos, Darío J. Diaz Cosin, Anahí Dominguez, Andrés Esteban Duhour, Nick van Eekeren, Christoph Emmerling, Liliana B. Falco, Rosa Fernández, Steven J. Fonte, Carlos Fragoso, André L. C. Franco, Martine Fugère, Abegail T. Fusilero, Shaieste Gholami, Michael J. Gundale, Mónica Gutiérrez López

Issue&Volume: 2019/10/25

Abstract: Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass. We found that local species richness and abundance typically peaked at higher latitudes, displaying patterns opposite to those observed in aboveground organisms. However, high species dissimilarity across tropical locations may cause diversity across the entirety of the tropics to be higher than elsewhere. Climate variables were found to be more important in shaping earthworm communities than soil properties or habitat cover. These findings suggest that climate change may have serious implications for earthworm communities and for the functions they provide.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aax4851

Source: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6464/480