Upcoming events

The humble earthworm is valued by farmers and gardeners alike for its contribution to healthy soils.

If you dig two holes in a field, you can find earthworms in the soil from one hole but not the other. What controls the distribution of earthworms has remained a poorly understood question since the time of Darwin.

In this talk, we’ll discuss whether finding earthworms in soil is a good indicator of healthy soil, what factors control the presence of earthworms in soil and how many holes you have to dig to find an earthworm.

For a wriggling and slimy invertebrate, earthworms have a good reputation. Most people recognise that earthworms are important, but few understand the true power of these ecosystem engineers or even that not all earthworms are the same.