@article{fdi:010055687,
  title = {{W}hat are the limits of the drilosphere ? {A}n incubation experiment using {M}etaphire posthuma},
  author = {{J}ouquet, {P}ascal and {H}uchet, {G}. and {B}ottinelli, {N}. and {T}hu, {T}. {D}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he near infrared reflectance spectroscopy ({NIRS}) method was used in the present study to compare earthworm-made soil aggregates to aggregates found in the surrounding bulk soil. {A}fter initially assessing the daily cast production of {M}etaphire posthuma, boxes with soil incubated with {M}. posthuma and control soils were subjected to wetting in order to reorganize the soil structure. {A}fter two months of incubation, soil aggregates produced by earthworms (casts and burrows), soil aggregates that were appeared to be unaffected by earthworms (bulk soil without visible trace of earthworm bioturbation from the earthworm treatment) and soil aggregates that were entirely unaffected by earthworms (control - no earthworm - treatment) were sampled and their chemical signatures analyzed by {NIRS}. {T}he production of below-ground and surface casts reached 14.9 g soil g worm(-1) d(-1) and 1.4 g soil g worm(-1) d(-1), respectively. {S}oil aggregates from the control soils had a significantly different {NIRS} signature from those sampled from boxes with earthworms. {H}owever, within the earthworm incubation boxes the {NIRS} signature was similar between cast and burrow aggregates and soil aggregates from the surrounding bulk soil. {W}e conclude that the high cast production by {M}. posthuma and the regular reorganization of the soil structure by water flow in and through the soil lead to a relatively homogenous soil structure. {G}iven these results, we question the relevance of considering the bulk soil that has no visible activity of earthworm activity as a control to determine the effect of earthworms on soil functioning.},
  keywords = {{E}arthworms ; {D}rilosphere ; {C}ast production ; {S}oil aggregate organization ; {N}ear infrared reflectance spectroscopy ; ({NIRS}) ; {M}etaphire posthuma},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}edobiologia},
  volume = {54},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {{S}113--{S}117},
  ISSN = {0031-4056},
  year = {2011},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.pedobi.2011.07.013},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010055687},
}