• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.277-284
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• 2014

Biochar application to soil is widely known to have effects of climate change mitigation and soil quality improvement. However, effects of biochar on soil ecosystem are not always positive and some biochars are reported to contain toxic materials which might influence soil ecosystem. In this context, this study aims to investigate behavioral changes of earthworms(Eisenia fetida, Eisenia andrei) in response to different application rates of biochar to artificial soil. Treatment included two types of biochars made from rice husk (RH_Char) and wastewater sludge (SL_Char) with 1% and 10% application rates, respectively. Avoidance test revealed that earthworms did not avoid SL_Char treatments at 1% and 10%, while they rather moved to the RH_Char treatments probably due to higher labile carbon content(Hot water extractable carbon) of the RH_Char. The HWC content of RH_Char was 4 times higher than that of the SL_Char. Results of reproduction test showed that the survival rates, number of juveniles and number of cocoons were not influenced by biochar application except for the treatment of SL_Char at 10% rate. In the SL_Char 10% treatment, fatality was approximately 3.3 times as high as the control and the number of cocoons was 1.3 times higher in the same treatment than the control, indicating that earthworms were under environmental stress. The possible explanation for the stress condition was related to higher Cd, Ni, Cr, and As contents in the SL_Char. Overall results imply that biochar application at low rate might not change earthworms' behavior for the short term, while the reproduction behavior might be negatively influenced under the high application rate.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.77-86
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• 2019

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of legume cover crop culture on earthworm fauna in organic farmland. We compared sod culture with two kinds of legume crops of hairy vetch and crimson clover on organic citrus orchard to natural sod culture and conventional orchards in Jeju Island. We analyzed the soil characteristics and investigated the density of earthworms from the orchards. Organic matter content did not show much difference in soil analysis between organic and conventional orchard. But the biomass of earthworms in organic orchards is 3.8 times to 7.0 times higher than that in conventional cultivated orchards, and individuals of earthworms on organic orchards were 2.3~18 times higher than conventional orchards. The biomass of earthworms on hairy vetch and crimson clover cultivation was 44.8 g, 47.2 g in 2016, and 78.7 g, 31.8 g in 2017, respectively, which were higher than 32.8 g and 9.5 g of those on natural sod cultivation. Through this study, we found that hairy vetch and crimson clover cultivation improve the earthworm occurrence density in the soil on organic citrus orchard.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.51.2-51
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• 2000

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.128.2-128
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• 2001

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.71.2-71
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• 2002

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.73.1-73
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• 2002

No Abstract, See Full Text

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2007.04a
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• pp.355-357
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• 2007

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.357-361
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• 2007

To determine the feeding sites preferred by adult gold-spotted pond frogs, Rana plancyi chosenica, and the foods that induce favorable growth of the frogs in the laboratory, we conducted two separate experiments between 27 May and 12 July 2007 in a vivarium. In the first experiment, we counted the number of crickets eaten by four gold-spotted pond frogs in a 60 min period at four different feeding sites within the experimental arenas: on the water surface, at the edge of a pond, and at two terrestrial sites. Adult gold-spotted pond frogs ate more crickets on the water surface and at the edge of the pond than the terrestrial sites. In the second experiment, we measured the growth of SVL (snout-vent length) and body mass of adult gold-spotted pond frogs fed crickets, mealworms, maggots, or earthworms in individual experimental boxes over a one month period. The SVL and body mass of the adult gold-spotted pond frogs fed crickets, mealworms, or maggots were greater than those of the frogs that were fed earthworms. These results indicate that providing crickets, mealworms, or maggots on the water or at the edge of a pond should induce favorable growth of captive-reared adult gold-spotted pond frogs.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.6 no.3_4
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• pp.133-141
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• 1991

Vermistabilization is the stabilization of organic wastes using earthworms. The worms maintain aerobic conditions in the waste, accelerating and enhancing the biological decomposition of the waste. This study was carried out to find out fundamental factors affecting the performance of the process such as temperature, moisture content and pH condition of nightsoil sludge, and to evaluate the worms excreta (casting) as fertilizer. The results could be summarized as follows; the optimum range of temperature was observed 10~3$0^{\circ}C$ while survival rate of eathworm decreased rapidly at 35$^{\circ}C$ within 6 days and death occurred at 5$^{\circ}C$. Those of moisture content and pH condition were 50~70% and 5~8, respectively. Earthworms were revealed to change the composition of N in nightsoil sludge consisting of$NH_3$-N (71%), $NO_2$-N (2%) and $NO_3$-N (27%) into that $NH_3$-N (24%), $NO_2$-N (1%), $NO_3$-N (75%) in earthworm excreta, respectively The concentrations of NH$_3$and H$_2$S gas in pig manure were reduced by 59.2% and 45.2% in case of mixing pig manure with casting.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.100-107
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• 2000

In a recently developed strategy for in-situ treatment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), bioaugmentation was used in conjunction with a surfactant, sorbitan trioleate, as a carbon source for the degrader bacteria, along with the monoterpene, carvone, and salicylic acid as inducing substrates. Two bacteria were used for soil inoculants, including Arthrobacter sp. st. B1B and Ralstonia eutrophus H850. This methodology achieved 60% degradation of PCBs in Aroclor 1242 after 18 weeks in soils receiving 34 repeated applications of the degrader bacteria. However, an obvious limitation was the requirement for soil mixing after every soil inoculation. In the research reported here, bioaugmentation and biostimulation treatment strategies were modified by using the earthworm, Pheretima hawayana, as a vector for dispersal and mixing of surface-applied PCB-degrading bacteria and soil chemical amendments. Changes in microbial biomass and microbial community structure due to earthworm effects were examined using DNA extraction and PCR-DGGE of 16S rDNA. Results showed that earthworms effectively promoted biodegradation of PCBs in bioaugmented soils to the same extent previously achieved using physical soil mixing, and had a lesser, but significant effect in promoting PCB biodegradation in biostimulated soils treated with carvone and salicylic acid. The effects of earthworms were speculated to involve many interacting factors including increased bacterial transport to lower soil depths, improved soil aeration, and enhanced microbial activity and diversity.