Ecological Assessment of Earthworm Communities in Hevea brasiliensis Plantations of Varying Age Groups in West Tripura, India
Subhalaxmi Bhattacharjee*
Dept. of Zoology, Holy Cross College, West Tripura (799 210), India
Priyasankar Chaudhuri
Dept. of Zoology, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, West Tripura (799 022), India
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54083/IF/9.1.2024/10-20
Keywords: Biomass, Density, Earthworm, Hevea brasiliensis, Leaf Litter, Rubber
Abstract
An ecological assessment was carried out in West Tripura, India to investigate the earthworm communities in Hevea plantations of distinct ages (3, 10, 14, 20 and 25 years) every month from June 2006 to May 2007. A total of twelve distinct species of earthworms from five families were found in the study area. The family Octochaetidae was represented by six species, including Eutyphoeus assamensis, E. comillahnus, Lennogaster chittagongensis, L. yeicus, Octochaetona beatrix and Dichogaster affinis. Other families included Megascolecidae (Metaphire houlleti and Kanchuria sp. 1), Moniligastridae (Drawida nepalensis and D. papillifer papillifer), Glossoscolecidae (Pontoscolex corethrurus) and Ocnerodrilidae (Gordiodrilus elegans).
The findings showed a favourable relationship between the plantation age and both the density and biomass of earthworm communities. Its dominance was evident as Pontoscolex corethrurus accounted for more than 60% of the total biomass of earthworms and 70% of the community density in all plantations. Exotic species such as Metaphire houlleti and Pontoscolex corethrurus exhibited uniform distribution across plantations of all age groups. Younger plantations (3 and 10 years) exhibited lower earthworm biomass, likely due to the high concentrations of polyphenols, flavonoids and lignin in the leaf litter, which negatively impacted earthworm activity. These compounds declined as the crops grew, which resulted in a notable rise in earthworm biomass. The overall findings of the study showed that the age of the plantations plays a significant role in evaluating the density, biomass and species dominance of earthworms, with older plantations sustaining more robust and diversified earthworm ecosystems. These results have significant ramifications for managing biodiversity and soil health in rubber plantation ecosystems.
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