Barot Sébastien auteur aut IRD Rossi J. P. auteur aut IRD Lavelle Patrick auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Classical predator-prey or host-parasitoid models often lead to spatial self-organization due to local interactions and limited dispersal ability of the resource (prey or host) and consumers (predator or parasitoid). We hypothesized that self-organization may also arise in soil organisms when the resource is passive and has a constant renewal rate. Earthworm density is correlated with soil properties, but soil heterogeneity only explains a small proportion of spatial variations in earthworm densities. We hypothesized that this could be partially due to self-organization. These two hypotheses were tested with an original model parameterized for a savannah earthworm population. The model simulates an earthworm population divided in 1 m(2) cells. It is based on the assumption that fine soil aggregates constitute the only limiting resource influencing mortality, fecundity and dispersal and that this resource is renewed according to a constant rate independent of earthworm dynamics. Simulations lead to aggregated spatial distributions when the sensitivity of mortality or fecundity to the availability of the limiting resource is high, and when earthworm mobility is low. Such parameters values are consistent with what is known about earthworm biology. Applicability to different ecological systems and resulting population dynamical properties are discussed. specialized earthworm self organization spatial distribution soil structure spatial demography 074 39 9 2230-2240 2007 0038-0717 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010040751 10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.03.021 0038-0717 [F B010040751] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010040751 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2007/10/010040751.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2007-11-06 2017-08-23 fdi:010040751 fre