Consumption of Leaf Litter by Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta) on a Michigan Woodland Floodplain
- 1 January 1985
- journal article
- research article
- Published by JSTOR in The American Midland Naturalist
- Vol. 113 (1), 1-6
- https://doi.org/10.2307/2425341
Abstract
The consumption rate of leaf litter by L. terretris (Oligochaeta) was studied from April through May 1981, on a Michigan woodland floodplain. Feeding chambers containing earthworms and leaf litter, which excluded soil microfauna, were placed on the floodplain. After 4 wk, earthworms consumed leaves equivalent in amount to 93.8% of the total annual leaf fall. The mean consumption rate was 11.0 mg dry weight leaves g-1 live weight earthworms day-1 for a 4-wk period with a maximum rate of 14.3 mg. The consumption rate of leaf litter by L. terrestris reported herein was similar to rates reported in other studies.This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit:
- The respiratory metabolism of selected lumbricidaeOecologia, 1976
- Respiration and Energy Metabolism in AnnelidsPublished by Elsevier ,1969
- Changes in the Amounts of Dry Matter, Nitrogen, Carbon and Energy in Decomposing Woodland Leaf Litter in Relation to the Activities of the Soil FaunaJournal of Ecology, 1964
- Oxygen consumption of the worm Octochaetona serrata as a function of size and temperature in aquatic and aerial mediaComparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 1964
- Studies of earthworm populations in orchardsAnnals of Applied Biology, 1962