Nematode Feeding by Tropical Earthworms

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Abstract
Feeding by the tropical earthworm L. mauritii (Kinberg) on soil nematodes was investigated experimentally. During a 6 wk study nematode populations were checked in pots containing either 1, 2, 4 or no earthworms. The experiment was set up in triplicate. The nematode population in the control pot did not change significantly during the 6 wk period. The nematode population in the pots containing a single earthworm decreased by 20.7, 28.6, 53.7, 21.0 and 24.3% in 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 wk old cultures. Doubling the number of predators generally did not decrease the nematode abundance by half. After 3 wk of predation the nematode populations in all cultures was reduced by about 53% irrespective of number of predators. Gut content analysis showed that earthworms fed mainly on non-parasitic nematodes. These decreased by a maximum of 90% during the 6 wk period, compared to a decrease of a maximum of 47% in the parasitic forms.

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