The extent of this increase seems to be dependent upon the type of substrate under study.
Recent reports have shown that specific bacterial groups consistently increase in soils where earthworms are present, regardless of the earthworm functional group. Do earthworms reduce microbial abundance and activity because they feed on microorganisms or do they select and stimulate specific microbial groups? We hypothesise that “the effect of earthworms on nutrient cycling and plant growth is not only a direct effect but is mainly mediated indirectly, via modifications of the microbial community.” The objective of this review is to synthesize the existing literature concerning the influence of earthworms on the structure and function of soil microbial communities, as well as to understand how earthworm-induced changes in the soil microbiota would in turn impact soil processes, particularly those occurring in the rhizosphere and involved in plant growth and health. However, how earthworms modify the structure of soil microbial communities and how these changes affect soil microbial processes is still unclear. The capacity of earthworms to decompose organic matter has been attributed to the microbial communities that inhabit their digestive track or the structures they build, which in turn contribute to make up the drilosphere, a hotspot for microbial activity. The positive effect of earthworms on soil processes and plant growth has been extensively documented. 6UMR- Interactions Plantes Microorganismes Environnement, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) and Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Montpellier, France.5Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico.4Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, CNRS, INRA, University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.3Red de Estudios Moleculares Avanzados, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico.2Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.
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