@article{fdi:010097125,
  title = {{E}valuating the delayed, causal effects of summer irrigation on winter earthworm communities in a {M}editerranean agroforestry trial},
  author = {{G}{\'e}rard, {S}. and {M}arsden, {C}. and {B}elaud, {E}. and {B}iryol, {C}harlotte and {C}apowiez, {Y}. and {E}stopinan, {J}. and {F}erchaud, {F}. and {F}orest, {M}. and {N}gao, {J}. and {G}oury, {R}. and {M}asson, {A}. {S}. and {O}rri{\`e}re, {S}. and {H}edde, {M}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{M}editerranean agroecosystems increasingly face prolonged summer drought, extended bare-soil periods and heat extremes, all of which constrain soil biota and threaten long-term soil functioning. {M}anagement practices maintaining plant cover during summer, such as cover crops, may alleviate these constraints but generally require irrigation in dry regions. {H}owever, the ecological consequences of combining summer cover crops with irrigation remain poorly quantified for soil fauna, particularly in heterogeneous agroforestry systems. {W}e monitored earthworm communities for six years (2019-2024) at the {DIAMS} experimental platform, a replicated {M}editerranean alley-cropping agroforestry trial where an irrigated summer cover crop was implemented factorially. {E}arthworms were surveyed each winter across contrasted habitat types to assess delayed (legacy) effects of summer management. {T}o isolate irrigation effects from spatial heterogeneity and interannual climatic variability, we applied a {D}ifference-in-{D}ifferences framework complemented by event-study analyses. {S}ummer crop irrigation did not affect earthworm biomass or species richness but induced habitat-specific changes in abundance. {A}bundance increased in irrigated agroforestry crop alleys (×3.5 in {AF}_{C} and ×2.5 in {AF}_{C}1m), while no detectable effects occurred in monoculture or tree-dominated habitats. {C}ommunities were largely dominated by {M}icroscolex dubius, suggesting that irrigation primarily enhanced the survival or recruitment of this disturbance-tolerant species. {I}rrigation effects were stronger following dry autumns, indicating climate-dependent legacy responses. {O}verall, our results show that irrigation benefits for soil fauna are strongly context-dependent, emerging primarily in exposed crop habitats and shaped by habitat heterogeneity, seasonal legacy effects and interannual climatic variability.},
  keywords = {{S}oil biodiversity ; {A}groecology ; {S}oil conservation ; {R}esource-mediated pathways ; {C}ommunity dynamics ; {E}cological trajectories ; {FRANCE} ; {HERAULT}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}griculture {E}cosystems & {E}nvironment},
  volume = {408},
  numero = {},
  pages = {110455 [11 p.]},
  ISSN = {0167-8809},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.agee.2026.110455},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010097125},
}